Saudi opens high-speed railway to public

New link will slash travel time between Makkah and Madinah

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Oct 11, (AFP): Saudi Arabia’s new high-speed railway opened to the public on Thursday, whisking Muslim pilgrims and other travellers between Makkah and Madinah, Islam’s holiest cities.

The Haramain High Speed Rail system will transport passengers 450 kilometres (280 miles) via the Red Sea port of Jeddah at speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour.

Two trains, each carrying 417 passengers, departed from Makkah and Madinah at 8 am (0500 GMT), according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

Two daily services are initially planned in each direction, it said.

Saudi King Salman on Oct 25 inaugurated the high-speed railway, which local officials described as the biggest transportation project in the region.

The new link will slash the travel time between Makkah and Madinah from several hours to 120 minutes, transport officials said.

The rail project, dogged by several delays, was built at a cost of more than $16 billion, according to Saudi media.

In 2011, Saudi Arabia signed a deal for a Spanish consortium to build the rail track, supply 35 high-speed trains and handle a 12-year maintenance contract.

The kingdom is boosting its infrastructure spending and expanding its railways, including with a $22.5 billion metro system under construction in the capital Riyadh, as it seeks to diversify its oil-dependent economy.

The annual Hajj, which is to be held in September next year, attracts more than two million Muslims to the Makkah region.

Top: Saudi passengers walk in the platform at Makkah’s train station on Oct 11, as the new high-speed railway line linking Makkah and Madinah opens. Above left: Saudi passengers undergo security at Makkah’s train station on Oct 11. Above right: Saudi passengers are seen inside a wagon at Makkah’s train station on Thursday. (AFP)