Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The countdown has begun for the resumption of service of Haramain High-Speed Train between Makkah and Madinah via Jeddah and the King Abdullah Economic City of Rabigh.

The train service will resume in September, for which the start of reservations will be announced soon. Reservations and tickets will be available online via the Al-Haramain Railway website.

The Haramain train service resumed operation last December after a halt of two and a half months following a massive fire that engulfed Sulaymaniyah station in Jeddah. The station was out of operation after the fire.

Later, the service had been suspended again following the imposition of travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic in March this year.

The suspension period was used to complete all additional work so as to meet the great demand to transport the largest number of travelers between the two holy cities. The railway stations in Makkah, Jeddah, Jeddah airport, Madinah and Rabigh will be ready to receive passengers in line with the precautionary measures and preventive protocols against the pandemic.

Before the suspension of the services, there were 12 daily round trips between Makkah and Madinah with regular five-day scheduled trips in a week and each trip carried more than 400 passengers. There are 30 Saudi captains who have completed their training from Spain to operate the trains.