The “Haramain Express Train” project serves hundreds of thousands of visitors and pilgrims during the holy month of Ramadan, through regular frequency trips operated around the clock between Medina and Mecca to transport visitors, citizens, and residents to perform Umrah rituals and pray in the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque.
The Haramain Train Project, with its five stations in Mecca, Medina, King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, and King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh, is the largest transportation project in the Middle East region, provided by the Kingdom to serve visitors of the Two Holy Mosques throughout the year, especially during the Umrah and Hajj seasons. It covers a distance of 450 km in about two hours at a speed of up to 300 km/hour, and is operated using completely electric technology, with the highest security and safety specifications, without the slightest carbon emissions, which provides complete comfort and a safe option for travelers between the two holy cities.
At the Haramain Express Train station in Medina, SPA monitored scenes of the services provided to passengers via the train, starting with receiving passengers, transporting them through reservation verification services, baggage procedures, and their arrival directly to the train cars in a few minutes before the flight moves to its destination according to scheduled flights. Under the supervision of young Saudi specialists to ensure the accuracy of its running times on a regular basis.
The services provided to travelers via the Haramain Express train are varied, including receiving passengers through the gates, verifying reservation information, following up on their movement via the escalators to the waiting area before calling for the trip’s departure time, moving via the escalators to the train parking area, and supervising the security situation at the station and transit areas. Verifying the safety of luggage, directing passengers to the carriages according to the data recorded in the reservation tickets, directing the passenger to the designated seat, as well as serving people with disabilities and transporting them using wheelchairs to the seat in the designated carriage in a safe and easy manner. Services also include supervising the provision of food inside. The train, and a sales service that provides secure and multiple electronic payment methods during the trip.
Muhannad Muwaffaq Al-Kubaisi - an Iraqi visitor residing in the United States of America - describes the moment of his arrival from the train journey from Mecca to Medina, praising the high-end service and the project that the Kingdom provided to visitors, recalling the great development witnessed in the transportation sector services to serve pilgrims and Umrah performers throughout the ages. Which used to take days, then reduced to several hours via vehicles, and thanks to optimal care services, it turned into approximately two hours to travel between Mecca to Medina with large numbers of passengers via the Haramain Express Train, which represents a major shift in the quality of services directed to visitors.
The visitor, Hussein Abu Bakr - an Eritrean visitor residing in the United States of America - also expressed his happiness with what he saw during his journey from Mecca to Medina via the Haramain Express Train, in terms of the warm reception and welcome during the completion of travel procedures at the station, and the good hospitality and service inside the train, indicating He received the same service when he came to perform Umrah two years ago.
Dr. Fateh Harish, a visitor from the Republic of Algeria residing in France, also expressed his pleasure after experiencing his trip by train, describing the service as tremendous and unparalleled in all the countries he visited, wishing the Kingdom further progress and sophistication for the efforts it provides to the guests of God.
The Haramain Train Station in Medina is distinguished by its distinguished location along King Abdulaziz Road, which leads directly to the Prophet’s Mosque, at a distance of 3 kilometers. The station’s area is 268 thousand square meters, enabling it to receive and transport 4,000 passengers per hour arriving and departing from the station. The station also includes a commercial center. Full-service, with restaurants and cafes, designated waiting areas, banking and exchange services, car rental services, telecommunications companies, offices for completing housing and hotel reservations, public transportation services and frequent flights between the Two Holy Mosques, in addition to parking lots below the station.
The Ministry of Transport and Logistics, through the Saudi Railways Company (SAR), is implementing a facilitated transportation plan for visitors and pilgrims through the Haramain Express Train project through five stations, transporting 1.330 million passengers during the holy month of Ramadan, an increase of 26% over last year, and the number of trips reaching 2,748 trips, an increase. 9% compared to last year, as trips are operated regularly during the holy month via a fleet of 35 express trains from various stations, with a capacity of 417 seats per train, and a railway network with a length of 450 kilometers, designed to the highest quality and safety specifications that guarantee - God willing - the comfort and security of travelers and their transportation to their destinations at regular times.