Saudi rail project delayed until 2016

Saudi Arabia’s Haramain railway project linking the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah will not be complete until 2016, according to Saudi Railways Organisation (SRO) president Muhammad Al-Suwaiket.

SRO said in January that the project would be ready for operations by December 2015.

But speaking to the Saudi Gazette, Al-Suwaiket said: “Only 50 percent of the project has been completed so far,” adding that the trains for the project would be tested in 2015.

The Haramain Railway line will connect the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah via Jeddah and is reportedly costing $14bn (SR51.5bn), following a revision of an earlier figure of $11.1bn quoted by an SRO report.

First phase work on the project involves all civil works related to the building of the railway, including preparation of the ground, construction of bridges, culverts and tunnels for the laying of the track.

Al Rajhi Alliance, which is a consortium of China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), Al Arrab Contracting Company Ltd, and Al Suwailem Company, are carrying out the first phase works.

The project has been divided up into six sections or “areas”: Area1 starts in Makkah and runs to the 70km mark; Area 2 runs from 70km to 100km; Area 3 from 100km to 185km; Area 4 from 185km to 285km; Area 5 up to 350km; and Area 6 to the end of the 450km track in Madinah.

Trains on the line are expected to run at a top speed of 360kmh and will call at stations in Makkah, one central station at Jeddah City with another station at King Abdulaziz International Airport, King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh, and Madinah in the Knowledge City area.

In May 2012, the Phase 2 contractor for the project, Saudi-Spanish consortium Al-Shoula Group, walked 10km of the track as part of an inspection, which resulted in their approval for the handover of the track and will see their mobilisation in June.

The Phase 2 Saudi-Spanish consortium includes Talgo, Renfe, Adif, Copasa, Imathia, Consultrans, Ineco, Cobra, Indra, Dimetronic, Inabensa, OHL, AL-Shoula and Al-Rosan.

Phase 2 of the Makkah-Madinah project will see the remaining infrastructure work on the line which includes construction of the track, signaling, power, electrification and telecommunications and is expected to be complete by the end of 2015.

It also requires procurement of rolling stock and operations and maintenance for a period of 12 years after completion.