
THE Haramain high-speed link connecting Makkah with Madinah in Saudi Arabia will open by the end of next year, said Wasmi Al Ferraj, director general of expansion projects at Saudi Railways Organisation.
Al Ferraj said that the line’s station in Madinah is now 52 per cent complete. The Makkah terminal and a stop in Jeddah are also nearing completion while the one serving King Abdullah Economic City is almost 38 per cent done. A fifth station will serve Jeddah International Airport.
The Haramain link will be 450 km long and allow trains to reach a speed of 300 kmph, linking the two cities. Initially, the railway is expected to carry more than three million passengers annually.
The line will cost almost $12 billion, with the first phase, split into two parts, having a budget totalling $4.1 billion and the second – which includes the tracks and signalling – some $7.9 billion, Al Ferraj said.