Electric regenerative braking with air disc brakes; ETCS Level 2 signalling
Route Engineering Challenges
453 km route across the Hijaz / Najd desert plateau with sustained sandstorm exposure on rolling stock and HVAC intakes
Extreme temperature variations — summer daytime above 50 °C with strong diurnal cooling
Seismic zone crossing on the Makkah approach corridor
Grade-separated crossings at all urban intersections and wadi flash-flood channels
Continuous track stability on sabkha (salt-flat) sections north of Jeddah
Operator
Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) — Haramain High-Speed Rail division
Line opened
2018 (commercial service began after the 2019 Al-Sulimaniyah station fire restoration)
Electrification
25 kV 60 Hz AC overhead catenary
Stations served
5: Makkah, Jeddah Al-Sulimaniyah (city centre), Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport, King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), Madinah (plus the planned King Abdullah Financial District stop in Riyadh for the future extension)
Signalling
ETCS Level 2 (European Train Control System)
Operator fleet
Talgo 350 / CAF S-730 trainsets, modified for desert climate control and sand filtration
Journey time
Approximately 2 h 20 min Makkah ↔ Madinah (express) / 2 h 45 min with intermediate stops
Booking
Online at sar.hhr.sa (English / Arabic); authorised agents include the official SAR mobile app and selected Hajj/Umrah operators