Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has officially launched the Haramain high-speed railway line linking the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
“The journey between the Haramain, the two holy mosques, is now shorter and easier than at any time before,” Transport Minister Nabil al-Amoudi said at the opening ceremony.
The 450-km line starts at Mecca, passing the Red Sea city of Jeddah, King Abdulaziz International Airport, King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh towards Medina.
The line is served by 35 Talgo trains able to run at speeds of 300 km/h, cutting the travel time between Mecca and Medina by three hours, from five to two hours. The high-speed transport service is expected to be used by 60 million passengers. Eight transport services per day are initially provided, which will be increased to 12 services.
In 2011, Saudi Arabia awarded AlShoula Consortium a EUR 6.7 billion contract for the construction and operation of Haramain HSR. The consortium, formed by two Saudi and 12 Spanish companies. Under the contract, Talgo was commissioned to provide 35 Talgo 350 trains, with an option for 23 additional trains.
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