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Haramain High-Speed Rail: Connecting the Holy Cities in Saudi Arabia
The Haramain High-Speed Rail (HHR) is one of the largest transport projects in the Middle East. Designed to carry up to 60 million passengers annually, including Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, it connects Makkah, Jeddah, Rabigh, and Madinah with King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah.
K&A was responsible for Phase I of the project. This phase included a comprehensive range of tasks. These tasks involved surveying and developing design guidelines. K&A also executed both preliminary and detailed civil design. Additionally, K&A handled utilities relocations. We managed hydrological and stormwater management as well. We coordinated with Jeddah’s master plan. Our work also included sand dune studies and seismic assessments. Furthermore, we conducted environmental impact studies and aerodynamic analysis. Our extensive involvement reflects our expertise in quantity surveying and environmental impact assessments. This ensured that the project’s design met both technical and sustainability requirements.
Designing for Scale and Speed
The project required the design of a 450 km electric double rail line, capable of speeds up to 360 km/h, along with 65 km of rail links and sidings. Beyond the railway, K&A designed 293 km of highways and roads, loops, and cloverleaf interchanges to integrate the line into the wider transport network.
This massive scope demanded innovative solutions to manage vast earthworks, complex alignments, and challenging terrain while ensuring safety and resilience.
Engineering a Complex Network
K&A’s scope included the design of:
- 515 km of railway alignment covering the main line and supporting links
- 293 km of highways and roads, including interchanges, loops, and ramps
- 55 bridges for road, rail, and Wadi crossings
- 850 culverts for utilities, drainage, vehicles, and pedestrians
The scale of the works required careful geotechnical analysis and hydrological design to manage nearly 120 million m³ of cut-and-fill for the railway and 29 million m³ for roads.
Transforming Mobility Between the Holy Cities
The Haramain High-Speed Rail project will cut travel time between Makkah and Madinah from up to 10 hours by road to just a few hours by high-speed train.
By delivering modern rail infrastructure, the project enhances mobility, supports Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, and strengthens the Kingdom’s ability to serve millions of pilgrims annually. It also stimulates economic development and provides long-term social benefits through improved accessibility and connectivity.
