Haramain rail’s first trip slated for January
01 September 2017
The Haramain High-Speed Rail project, also known as the Western Railway, will operate its first trip from Makkah to Madinah in January, a Saudi Gazette report said.
An official for the project said the train will initially go from Makkah to Madinah with no stops in between, said the report.
The project is a 453-km-long high-speed inter-city rail transport system linking the two holy cities via King Abdullah Economic City, and King Abdulaziz International Airport (KKIA) in Jeddah, using 449.2 km of main line and a 3.75-km branch connection to the airport.
The network will be connected to existing rail transport in Saudi Arabia at Jeddah.
“The train is highly anticipated as it has the vital role of connecting the two holy cities Makkah and Madinah. The airport station is being built in cooperation with the General Authority for Civil Aviation,” said the official.
“The Electricity Company will also be providing electricity for Station One which connects Jeddah to Makkah,” he added.
Electric trains on this line will travel at speeds of up to 300 km per hour. The railway is expected to carry three million passengers a year, including many Haj and Umrah pilgrims, helping to relieve traffic congestion on the roads.
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