Saudi high-speed train to run by 2015

Saudi Arabia’s Haramain High-Speed Railway network has been connected with electricity for its overhead lines and is expected to link King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) and Medina at the end of 2015, said a top official.

The train has been tested on the line with a gradual speed of 300 km per hour, Abdullah Al-Muqbil, Saudi Arabia’s Transport Minister and chairman of the Saudi Railways Organization (SRO), was quoted as saying by Arab News.

Tests will continue for a few months until the efficiency of the train is verified, the minister said.

The project includes railway lines with a total length of 450 kilometers between Mecca, Jeddah and Medina, the report said.

Train stations will be established in Central Jeddah, King Abdul Aziz Airport in Jeddah, Mecca, Medina and King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh.