Makkah-Madinah high-speed train service to start early next year

Illustration showing the Makkah-Madinah railway route.

MAKKAH: The Makkah Region Development Authority has announced the completion of field work on the Haramain Express Train.
It expects the project to be fully completed in late 2017 and operational in the first quarter of 2018, Al-Hayat newspaper reported.
The 450-km electric railway project serves as a qualitative addition to the transportation system in the Kingdom.
It will provide a fast, convenient, reliable and safe mode of transport between Makkah and Madinah, as well as the cities of Jeddah and Rabigh.
The train will take passengers from Makkah to Madinah through Jeddah and King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC).
The project is in its final stages after 35 trains (with a capacity of 417 seats per train) were equipped with all amenities.
The train will be managed with a world-class operating system and will connect the province of Jeddah to Makkah via a 78-km double-track line.
The Makkah-Madinah high-speed railway will shorten the travel time between Jeddah and Makkah to about 21 minutes, and less than two-and-a-half hours between Makkah and Madinah.
The Makkah station is located at the main entrance to the city in the neighborhood of Al-Rusaifah.
The station is about 3 km away from the Grand Mosque in Makkah, while Al-Madinah station is located in the Knowledge Economic City (KEC) on King Abdul Aziz Road.
There are two train stations in Jeddah; the first is in Sulaymaniyah in the center of the city, and the second is at King Abdul Aziz International Airport.
The Rabigh station is located near King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST).