Saudi Arabia opens £6 billion high-speed train from Mecca to Medina

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Saudi Arabia has unveiled its £6 billion ($7.87 billion) high-speed rail service that will run between Mecca and Medina.

Mecca is the site of an annual pilgrimage for millions of Muslims as part of a sacred journey known as Hajj. The 280-mile (450-kilometer) railway will slash travel time between Mecca, the spiritual heart of Islam, and Medina, its second most sacred site, in half. The Haramain Railway is one of the largest transport projects in the Middle East. Now it will target 60 million passengers a year.

The journey between the Haramain (two holy mosques) is now shorter and easier than at any time before said Transport Minister Nabil al-Amoudi told dignitaries gathered at the Jeddah station this week.

The officials believe the improved transport links between the holy cities will boost tourism revenue in the country as the nation seeks to shed dependence on oil exports.

The holy pilgrimage for Muslims is the backbone of a plan from the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to diversify the economy. Hajj is one of the fundamental pillars of Islam and is a journey every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it must perform at least once in a lifetime. The mass migration to the ancient city is regarded as a deeply spiritual and profound experience but the pilgrimage is also big business for Saudi Arabia. Hajj, and the year-round lesser pilgrimage known as umrah, generate billions of dollars in revenues from worshippers´ lodging, transport, gifts, food and fees. The new rail link was built by a Spanish-led consortium and financed by the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund. The Project manager Mohammed Fallatah said the train would offer fast and reliable transportation to pilgrims as well as Saudis and foreign residents. He also said that the traveler will be comfortable. He can read books, magazines or enjoy watching screens in business class.

The authorities hope the train will also stimulate growth of King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), a massive business zone that was initiated under the previous ruler but remains relatively empty. It will eventually link up with a new terminal at Jeddah airport, which has already started serving select domestic routes and will take over all flights by early next year. Mr Fatallah said further expansion could include connecting to a planned east-west train between the capital Riyadh and Jeddah.

The pilgrims comprise the bulk of Saudi Arabia´s 20 million annual foreign visitors, apart from workers and business travellers. More than two million came for this year´s haj and 6.5 million performed umrah in 2017.

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