Riyadh – Decypha: Amongst many major projects the government of Saudi Arabia is currently undertaking, is the Haramain Railway project; an important expansion of the already-existing Saudi railway network. The Saudi government has made a decision to implement the railway project that connects the city of Mecca with Madinah via Jeddah.
Known as the Haramain High Speed Rail (HHR), the projects is expected to be completed by the end of the current, according to Arab News. The project was originally planned to open in 2012 but several delays took delays with the cost increases.
"HHR is considered an urgent need at the present time for the growing number of pilgrims year after year, as well as the Umrah performers, visitors, and residents who come to Mecca and Madinah throughout the year," said the official website of the Saudi Railways.
The HRR is planned to be a high-speed electrified line which aims to provide passengers with comfortable and safe transportation, according to the official website of the Saudi Railways. The project is expected to be implemented over two phases. The First includes the design and construction contract for $1.8 billion, in addition to the construction of the four of the five stations. Phase two includes the remaining infrastructure not included in phase one.
A project official said that that the journeys between cities will take different time, where the journey from Mecca to Jeddah will take 21 minutes, and from Jeddah to King Abdulaziz Airport 14 minutes, from King Abdulaziz Airport to Tabigh the journey will take 36 minutes, and from Rabigh to Madinah the journey will take 61 minutes, according to Arab News.
Project Implementation
Initially, the funding of the project was approved by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to be carried out through the specialized fund, however, later; the Council of Ministers stated that the state-owned Public Investment Fund (PIF) will be responsible for facilitating the implementation of the project and financing it on the basis of interest-free loans from the fund's financial resources. "The PIF will be compensated for this service through budget allocations in the coming years," said the Saudi government.
The project is worth a total of $16.5 billion, according to Gulf Business, and only a few stations of it will be opened at first until all stations are gradually opened.
A project official said that the Spanish consortium will be carrying out the project's operation and maintenance for a period of 12 years starting 2017, according to Arab New. The contract of the consortium, which is estimated at $7.11 billion, is expected to be extended to March 2018, 14 months later than the original date initially planned.
Details of HRR
The trains will be manufactured by Talgo and are expected to have a maximum commercial speed of 300 km/h. Each train will comprise of 13 cars, with 417 seats, and a total length of 215 meters, according to Gulf Business. The project is planned to serve 60 million passengers every year.
The HRR project is expected to help 9000 passengers commute in only one hour, according to Al Arabiya. The first trial journey was launched from Rabigh in July 2016.
The trains are designed with the primary aim of providing passengers with a comfortable experience, in addition to a fast, reliably, and safe channel of transportation. However, the fares have not been revealed yet by the Saudi government.
In April, the managing engineer of the project's second phase said that 98% of the works on railways were completed with only 10 kilometers remaining, with part of them being in Mecca, Okaz reported. In terms of electricity work, six stations have their electricity completed with a cost of more than SAR 2 billion.
The largest station in the project will be in Jeddah, on a distance of more than 900,000 sqm, while the smallest station will be in Rabigh, according to Okaz.
Expected Benefits
The new expansion of the Saudi railway is not only fast and safe, but is also going to result in less pollution caused by vehicle exhausts. The Saudi Railways Organizations (SRO) stated on its website that the trains are also expected to alleviate the pressure and congestion on the roads between Mecca, Madinah and Jeddah.
Challenges Facing HRR
Some of the most prominent challenges facing the project during its implementation include the issue of financial compensations and expropriations of nearly 5150 buildings, including 1600 inhabited with citizens, Al Arabiya reported. The compensations were estimated at SAR 9 billion. Moreover, another issue before the project's implementation was flattening the ground for the railway.
The second phase is considered the most difficult in terms of implementation, according to Al Arabiya. It comprises of a 450 km railway, and includes the manufacturing and setting of equipments, communications system, electrification and supply of the fleet of 35 trains and 385 carts.
By Reem Hossam El Din
