JEDDAH — Muhanad Mullah, a Saudi youth, on Tuesday drove the Haramain train at a speed of 180 km per hour in a test-run for the high speed train. On board were the Transport Minister, Abdullah Al-Muqbel, and senior officials of Saudi Railways Organization (SRO). The train — which has a maximum speed of 300 km/hour — will be fully operational next year. The minister asked the company, manufacturing the locomotives and the compartments, to intensify test-runs under various weather conditions to avoid any mishaps before the train officially enters into service. The track, rolling stock and stations are designed to handle the temperatures ranging from 0 °C (32 °F) to 50 °C (122 °F). The minister met a number of ambitious Saudi youths who drove the train after they were trained in Spain. Al-Muqbel has, during the past few days, inspected work on the Haramain Train Project in Jeddah, Rabigh, Makkah and Madinah. He started his tour by inspecting the bridges and crossings and later visited the main station in Jeddah. The 453-kilometer Haramain High Speed Rail will link Makkah and Madinah via King Abdullah Economic City, Rabigh, Jeddah, and King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. The travel between Jeddah and Makkah will take less than half an hour, while the 410-km distance between Jeddah and Madinah will be covered in about two hours. The train is expected to carry three million passengers a year, including many Haj and Umrah pilgrims, helping to relieve traffic congestion on the roads.
