The Railway to Karmiel is a railway linking Haifa and Karmiel in northern Israel. It opened in 2017 and consists of a double track standard gauge railway stretching for 23 km from near Acre (Akko) to Karmiel. It branches eastwards from the Coastal Railway between the Kiryat Motzkin Railway Station and the Acre Railway Station (at a point nearby where the Coastal Railway passes over the Na'aman River) and includes a 5 km long tunnel (composed of two parallel single-track tunnels) in the mountainous region near the eastern end of the line. Most of the route is in the vicinity of Highway 85. There are two stations on the railway: Ahidud and Karmiel.
From Karmiel, a plan exists to eventually extend the railway to Korazim (near Safed) and from there to Kiryat Shmona at the very northern tip of Israel. The Northern District Planning and Building Committee approved plans for the line in the spring of 2021. The plan will include considerable tunneling and bridging work and will cost at least NIS 20 bn. [1]
- ^ "Karmiel - Kiryat Shmona railway route approved". Globes. 23 June 2021.