Saudi authorities presided over the first official run of the high-speed train between Makkah and Madinah, the Haramain High Speed Railway, one of the keystone projects for Spanish engineering as a whole, and undoubtedly one of the crowning achievements of our company.

The trip was completed successfully aboard two trains between the Yeda and Madinah stations. Following this run, commercial operation of the line will begin, with initial transition speeds and frequencies that that will be increased starting in January. This milestone brings an end to the systems tests that began on 31 December.

The high-speed train between Makkah and Madinah is the largest international contract awarded to a consortium of Spanish companies. This contract covered the design and construction of the 450 km track and systems, the supply of 35 trains (plus a VIP train), as well as the management, operation and maintenance of the line and stations for 12 years. The Consortium is made up of 12 Spanish companies (Adif, Renfe, Talgo, OHL, Ineco, Indra, Cobra, Copasa, Imathia, Abengoa Inabensa, Siemens España and Consultrans) and two Saudi companies (Al Rosan and Al Shoula).

This project is also considered to be one of the greatest technological challenges in railway history. Adapting the systems and components to the extreme climate and particular geography of one of the planet’s most hostile environments has been a determining factor in the consolidation of the position of Spain’s engineering as one of the best in the world.

During the trip, the Saudi authorities expressed their immense satisfaction with the infrastructure and the the high-speed trains to the Consortium’s president.