A high-speed exercise station built to revolutionize shipping in Saudi Arabia had to close months after it opened following a devastating fire.
The high-speed train station in the coastal city of Jeddah is one of five stations in operation along the Haramain High-Speed Railway (HHR), a passenger railway connecting the Red Sea coast with Islam’s holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
The construction of Jeddah’s Sulaymaniyah Haramain station cost £603 million in the late 2010s, but the works and budget stalled when a fire ruptured Saudi Arabia’s internal infrastructure.
Flames engulfed the station on Sept. 29, 2019. Firefighters, aided by air support, took 12 hours to bring the blaze under control.
The fire broke out on the roof of the fourth ground and injured 11 people.
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Stunning footage taken after this devastating incident shows how the fire managed to devastate the station, with the roof destroyed and the escalators and exercise tracks littered with debris.
Following the fire, the station closed for nearly two years, since it reopened in July 2021.
The fire caused major disruption to the Haramain high-speed line, a pioneer in the Saudi maritime sector, as it would only be able to operate for two months, until the inauguration in December 2019 of a newly built exercise station at Jeddah Airport, King Abdulaziz International Airport. . .
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The railway line was suspended in March 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak and resumed operation a year later.
This 280-mile high-speed line is designed to link Mecca, Medina, Jeddah and King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC).
The railroad, the first of its kind in the country, is designed for a top speed of 220 mph and a service speed of 190 mph.
Construction of the HHR began in March 2009 and lasted nearly a decade, as it was unveiled in September 2018 and began operations the following month.
The railway is designed to stimulate tourism and provide a quick connection for Muslims traveling to Mecca to perform the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to the city. The entire task costs £5. 7 billion.
The line has 4 stations in addition to Jeddah: Medina Station, Rabigh KAEC Station, Makkah Station, and King Abdulaziz International Airport Station.
The design of these buildings has taken into account Islamic architectural traditions and includes, among other services, VIP lounges, a helipad, mosques, restaurants and shops.