Haramain Rail set to start commercial ops in March

Saudi Arabia’s Haramain high-speed rail project will begin commercial operations in March, Alriyadh newspaper reported, citing Rumaih Al Rumaih, chief executive of the Saudi Railway Company (SAR).

"Commercial operations will not be launched except after successfully completing the trial run,” Al Rumaih said the sidelines of the International Conference and Exhibition on Development and Reconstruction Projects in Makkah.

Last month, Haramain high-speed rail started a test run between Al-Sulaymaniyah station in Jeddah and Al-Rusaifah station in Makkah, data compiled by Argaam showed.

The new 450-kilometer-long train route will connect Makkah and Madinah and can carry 9,000 passengers per hour.

The Makkah-Madinah rail passes through five stations including Jeddah, King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah, and King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh.