Al-Madina Newspaper
ONE of the most amazing royal decisions that our country saw was the decision to establish the Al-Haramain Railway Project between Makkah and Madinah, and which goes through Jeddah and King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh with five stops. This decision was made in the interest of citizens and reflects on the keenness of our rulers.
This project is managed by a consortium of 12 international and local companies which have been able to execute this project according to international specifications. The project competes with other countries. I sat on a pilot journey last week from Madinah to King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh. It was an interesting experience with a group of businessmen. The trip was well organized and began from the entrance to the main station in Madinah. We even had our own reserved seats on the train.
Young Saudi men and women who were well versed in hospitality organized the journey. The train was almost on schedule and moved at a maximum speed of up to 200 km per hour. It is expected that the speed will reach 300 km per hour on journeys from Makkah to Madinah. There are two classes of journey — business and economy. There will also be additional services such as buffets and wireless internet. Scheduled departures and arrivals will also take place from stations every 10 minutes.
Passengers will be able to book tickets through their smartphones and also at machines and kiosks at stations. The actual date of when the train system will go live and how much tickets will cost will be determined later. Work is currently underway to train Saudi youth in partnership with other authorities through special programs.
We also received a good presentation of the project by Institutional Communication Supervisor Ahmed Al-Shammari who accompanied us during the trip and answered our questions. It remains to be noted that this giant national project will be extended later to reach different regions of the Kingdom. This project needs to be supported by all citizens since it is going to be the first public means of mobility throughout the Kingdom.
