Project description:

The "Haramain High-Speed Railway" project consisted of the construction of a 444 km double-track high-speed railway between Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

The "Haramain High-Speed Railway" project was divided into two phases:

Phase 1 :

  • Part A: relating to civil engineering works, retaining walls, underpasses, construction of bridges, viaducts, tracks and earthworks, etc.
  • Part B: concerned the construction of the five stations

Phase 2 :

  • related to signalling, telecommunication, catenary, track, maintenance and operation equipment

In March 2009, the Saudi Railway Organization (SRO) awarded the contract for the first phase of the Haramain High-Speed Railway project to the Al-Rahji Alliance consortium. 

On 4 July 2010, the Al-Rahji Alliance consortium submitted a bid for the second phase of the HHR project.

TUC RAIL's mission

TUC RAIL was involved in the first phase of the HHR project as a consultant/expert on high-speed lines for the company K&A (member of the Al-Rahji Alliance consortium). TUC RAIL's appointment as rail consultant to the consortium was approved and recognised by the SRO.

Initially, TUC RAIL provided specialised railway consultancy/expertise for:

  • the review of the rail design criteria;
  • the review of the technical documents;
  • civil engineering recommendations for high-speed rail.

TUC RAIL was then awarded the overall design of the Makkah Flare railway viaduct in Mecca. This viaduct is 1.7 km long and allows the new high-speed trains to enter and exit the new high-speed train station in Mecca.

For the second phase of the HHR project, TUC RAIL was appointed as Design Verification Engineer (DVE) by Alstom, a member of the Al-Rahji Alliance consortium.

DVE's main task was to verify that the Al-Rahji Alliance consortium's bid met all the SRO's requirements and that all the contractual documents and technical proposals/solutions included in the bid were in accordance with the SRO's specifications.