JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Haramain High-Speed Railway started increasing the speed of trains to 300 kilometers per hour (kph) for round trips to Madinah on Wednesday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The project’s management said trips between King Abdullah Economic City station and Madinah would reach the top speed, making the travel time between King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and Madinah around two hours, and between Makkah and Madinah approximately two hours and 45 minutes.
The railway is one of the most modern and fastest means of transport in the Middle East.
All stations include facilities such as lounges for business class travelers, a center for public transport, helicopter landing sites, parking lots, Civil Defense stations, mosques and commercial spaces to meet travelers’ requirements.
It is the first high-speed electric train in the region and spans over 450km, connecting five stations across Makkah, Jeddah, King Abdulaziz International Airport, King Abdullah Economic City and Madinah.
The railway was inaugurated by King Salman in Sep. 2018, and is in line with the objectives of reform plans to increase the number of pilgrims and visitors to the Kingdom’s holy places.
Officials describe it as the biggest transportation project of its kind in the region.
Saudi Arabia’s Haramain railway increases speed to 300kph
https://arab.news/ydgpr
Saudi Arabia’s Haramain railway increases speed to 300kph
- The project’s management said trips between King Abdullah Economic City station and Madinah would reach the top speed
- The railway is the first high-speed electric train in the region and spans over 450km
Saudi defense chief rallies international support amid escalating Iranian strikes
- Iran unleashes wave of drone strikes on Kingdom’s Eastern Province
- Missiles fired at Prince Sultan Air Base intercepted, destroyed
RIYADH: Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman held separate phone calls with his Turkish, Romanian, and South Korean counterparts as Iranian attacks on Gulf facilities continued on Thursday.
Iran escalated strikes on its Gulf neighbors in retaliation for ongoing US-Israeli attacks on Iranian territory.
After a brief pause Wednesday, drone attacks on Saudi Arabia resumed at 9 p.m., targeting the Eastern Province and the Shaybah oil field in the Empty Quarter. All the drones were stopped, the Saudi Ministry of Defense confirmed.
Missiles aimed at Prince Sultan Air Base in Al-Kharj were also intercepted and shot down, the ministry added.
In his call with Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler, Prince Khalid reaffirmed commitment to joint security measures and condemned Iranian aggression.
His conversation with Romanian counterpart Radu Miruta covered regional threats to global stability.
A call with South Korea’s Ahn Gyu-back similarly focused on condemning Iran’s actions and reviewing the broader regional picture.
The crisis traces back to February 28, when US and Israeli forces struck Iran. Tehran has since targeted Gulf states and US-Israeli assets across the region.
Iran has also declared a blockade on energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz — a critical chokepoint for global oil and gas flows — sending commodity prices surging.
