Saudi Arabian high-speed rail link on course for 2015 completion

[al-Hasani]

By Staff writer
Wednesday, 8 January 2014 2:39 PM

(Getty Images - for illustrative purposes only)

Saudi Railways Organisation said the Haramain high-speed link connecting Makkah with Madinah is deep into its construction phase after earlier delays which saw the planned opening date slip by a year.

The line’s station in Madinah is now 52 percent complete, with the Makkah terminal and a stop in Jeddah about a third built and one serving King Abdullah Economic City almost 38 percent done, Wasmi al-Ferraj, director general of expansion projects at Saudi Railways, said at a news conference in Riyadh. A fifth station will serve Jeddah International airport.

The Haramain link, which is being constructed specifically for high-speed electric trains, will be 450km (280 miles) long and allow trains to reach at least 300kmph, linking Islam's two most popular pilgrimage destinations.

It is due to open by the end of December 2015, the executive said.

The project has been divided up into six sections or “areas”: Area 1 starts in Makkah and runs to the 70km mark; Area 2 runs from 70km to 100km; Area 3 from 100km to 185km; Area 4 from 185km to 285km; Area 5 up to 350km; and Area 6 to the end of the 450km track in Madinah.

The line will cost almost $12bn, with the first phase, split into two parts, having a budget totaling $4.1bn and the second - which includes the tracks and signalling - some $7.9bn, Al-Ferraj said in an interview following his presentation.

Saudi high-speed rail link on course for 2015 completion - Construction - ArabianBusiness.com

 

[Kompromat]

This indeed a great service to the hujaaj.

 

[xenon54 out]

@al-Hasani

I heard that Turkey and KSA are planning to revive the old Ottoman Hejaz Railway with moder High Speed Trains connecting Istanbul to Mecca, do you have any Information about this.

Hejaz Railway - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[al-Hasani]

@xenon54

I do not know anything about that to be honest. I doubt it due to the situation in Syria. But once Syria is freed and peaceful then why not? A railway system from the GCC connecting Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Turkey in the future is very possible.

But in general it is not easy to construct railways in Hijaz due to the natural landscapes (mountain ranges, hilly terrain, volcanic areas, steppe, desert (mostly rocky), the big distances etc.

Personally, somewhere in the future, I would love to see a railway that goes from the city of Mocha in Yemen on the southernmost part of the beautiful Red Sea coastline all the way to Aqaba in Jordan. Also going to Egypt once/if the bridge connecting KSA and Egypt will be built. That would be something. Of course if the nature would not suffer. In the future hopefully with dozens of tourist towns/villages down the entire coastline. Enormous potential.

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

Awesome sauce

Let just wait till we see the train fully operational.

 

[airmarshal]

Great news. This railway line is very much needed. It will be busy all year round and crazy busy at the time of Hajj.

 

[xenon54 out]

But in general it is not easy to construct railways in Hijaz due to the natural landscapes (mountain ranges, hilly terrain, volcanic areas, steppe, desert (mostly rocky), the big distances etc.

Dude, Ottomans built Hijaz railway 100 years ago do you think its a problem today?

 

[al-Hasani]

Dude, Ottomans built Hijaz railway 100 years ago do you think its a problem today?

No they did not. Only a very small part of it in the easiest terrain of Hijaz. Of course it can be done but we are not talking about some old railways from 100 years ago but the most modern high-speed railway system. I was talking about many more railway lines not only connecting Makkah and Madinah but for example a mountainous city such as Ta'if that is located nearly 2.000 meters above sea level with other main cities in Hijaz or connecting the entire nearly 2500 km long Red Sea coastline.

It can be done but it is not an easy task. That was my point.

 

[xenon54 out]

No they did not. Only a very small part of it in the easiest terrain of Hijaz.

Istanbul and Mecca was connected back then, thats what we are talking about or not?

Of course it can be done but we are not talking about some old railways from 100 years ago but the most modern high-speed railway system. I was talking about many more railway lines not only connecting Makkah and Madinah but for example a mountainous city such as Ta'if that is located nearly 2.000 meters above sea level with other main cities in Hijaz or connecting the entire nearly 2500 km long Red Sea coastline.

It can be done but it is not an easy task. That was my point.

If thats you concern then Check out Japan, a very mountinous country with Highspeed train on every corner, its simply a question of money.

 

[al-Hasani]

Istanbul and Mecca was connected back then, thats what we are talking about or not?



If thats you concern then Check out Japan, a very mountinous country with Highspeed train on every corner, its simply a question of money.

No, only until Madinah. But you a comparing simple railways from 100 years ago (one single railway) with the most modern high-speed railway and in the examples I gave many more different railway roads in Hijaz than planned. That's not a easy task.

I never said that it could not be done. I wrote that the terrain posses greater difficulties than in most places.

Great news. This railway line is very much needed. It will be busy all year round and crazy busy at the time of Hajj.

I told you about all those giant projects in KSA, especially Hijaz, right now. From whole giant industrial towns, new airports, metros, high-speed railways, stadiums, new highway roads, expansions of Al-Masjid Al-Haram, Al-Masjid An-Nabawi, a lot of development in Makkah and Madinah, biggest financial district in the ME by far right now in Riyadh etc, upcoming biggest skyscraper (Kingdom Tower) in the world etc. It is kind of mess right now. After 2020 the results will be shown which is good at least.

 

[airmarshal]

No, only until Madinah. But you a comparing simple railways from 100 years ago (one single railway) with the most modern high-speed railway and in the examples I gave many more different railway roads in Hijaz than planned. That's not a easy task.

I never said that it could not be done. I wrote that the terrain posses greater difficulties than in most places.



I told you about all those giant projects in KSA, especially Hijaz, right now. From whole giant industrial towns, new airports, metros, high-speed railways, stadiums, new highway roads, expansions of Al-Masjid Al-Haram, Al-Masjid An-Nabawi, a lot of development in Makkah and Madinah, biggest financial district in the ME by far right now in Riyadh etc, upcoming biggest skyscraper (Kingdom Tower) in the world etc. It is kind of mess right now. After 2020 the results will be shown which is good at least.

I saw this train line being built. It was under construction when I was there in spring.

 

[INDIC]

Istanbul and Mecca was connected back then, thats what we are talking about or not?
.

Can you post any old picture or map of railway line built by Ottoman. I believe main technical challenge will be stop railway tracks sinking in the sand.

 

[al-Hasani]

Can you post any old picture or map of railway line built by Ottoman. I believe main technical challenge will be stop railway tracks sinking in the sand.

Not the topic for this thread. The map was already posted in post number 3 in this thread and there are nearly no traces of that railway in KSA.

I saw this train line being built. It was under construction when I was there in spring.

Construction started in March 2009. It will be completed as stated in the article in December 2015.

Haramain High Speed Rail Project - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I can't wait to see KSA in 2020 with all those immense projects completed and hopefully even more big projects will be planned for the immediate future.

 

[xenon54 out]

Can you post any old picture or map of railway line built by Ottoman. I believe main technical challenge will be stop railway tracks sinking in the sand.

Just google ''Ottoman Hejaz Railway''

 

[-SINAN-]

No, only until Madinah. But you a comparing simple railways from 100 years ago (one single railway) with the most modern high-speed railway and in the examples I gave many more different railway roads in Hijaz than planned. That's not a easy task.

I never said that it could not be done. I wrote that the terrain posses greater difficulties than in most places.

Mate, i feel like you are overrating this issue. As Turkey we are planning to build, approximately 10.000 kms of High Speed Train rails until 2023.

Distance between Istanbul and Mecca is roughly 3500 kms. (Not to forget this line can use present high speed rails in Turkey at that time.)

And can be easily done IMO.