Haramain Rail Pros and Cons

The Haramain rail project was completed in October 2018. The high-speed railway network offers routes between Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah airport (officially termed King Abdulaziz International Airport) and King Abdullah economic city.

It takes three hours to get from Makkah to Madinah and vice versa via the Haramain rail. The train speed varies between 170 kilometres per hour to 300 kilometres per hour. The train will stop en-route at Jeddah airport and King Abdullah economic city. A one-way economy ticket costs 157.5 Saudi Riyal (£33) and children pay half price. A one-way business class ticket costs 263 Saudi Riyal (£55) and children pay half price

The stations at both Makkah and Madinah are located at a 15-minute drive from the Holy Mosques. Boarding gates close 10 minutes before departure. You want to reach the station at least 20 minutes before your train departs, as it will take time to check in. If you haven’t purchased your ticket beforehand, you will need extra time for this as well.

If you are travelling for Umrah from Madinah to Makkah, make sure you wear your ihram and make your intention before boarding the train or while on the train, as the train does not stop at a Meeqaat.

You can also use the Haramain rail to travel from Jeddah airport to Makkah (which takes just over an hour). However, this is only in the new terminal and for passengers flying with Saudi airlines. More airlines that will begin moving into the new terminal from March 2020. Do check if your airline will be moved to the new terminal before you make any train booking, otherwise you will have to take a taxi from the old North Terminal to the new terminal in order to catch the train.

Before booking your train, balance out cost, comfort and travel time.

Pros:

- The Haramain rail is clean, tidy and comfortable, even in economic class. You don’t hear rattling. Seats have arm rests. In terms of width, the seats are similar in size to airline seats. Unlike a taxi, you can move around. There is a cafe at the back so you can grab a coffee or snack. One downside is that seats do not recline.

- Time

It takes 3 hours to get from Makkah to Madinah and vice versa. I got there in 2 hours 45 minutes – 15 minutes earlier than the stated time.

- Safe and cheap

If you’re travelling solo and light, the Haramain rail is a safer and cheaper way to go from Makkah to Madinah. As mentioned above, economy tickets cost 157.5 riyals. Do remember that you need to take a taxi from your hotel to the train station. The taxi from my Makkah hotel to the train station cost me 55 riyals and the taxi from Madinah train station to my hotel cost me 30 riyals. So, the total cost was around 250 riyals (£53).

Saudi taxi drivers can drive dangerously and road traffic accidents are not uncommon. The Haramain rail guarantees more safety and peace of mind.

Cons:

- There are luggage limitations:

Ticket instructions state: Any passenger provided with a ticket may carry with him, under his custody and responsibility, in the places designated for that purpose, one piece of hand baggage and one-piece limited to 25 Kg not exceeding 65 x 55 x 35 cm. (length-height-width).

My experience:

My luggage was not weighed. When the instructions refer to one piece of hand luggage, it means only one piece, and even that, only a small bag, slightly bigger than a handbag. I thought that a small cabin suitcase would come under hand luggage (as airlines allow), but the person at the entrance refused to let me in. I had to really convince him. I was also lucky to go just before Saudi closed its doors for Umrah due to the coronavirus pandemic, so the train was quite empty. If it was peak time, rules would have been observed more strictly.

If you have more than a suitcase and bag, the Haramain rail won’t be an option. Similarly, if you’re purchasing dates in big boxes from Madinah and then intend to go to Makkah, your luggage will exceed the allowance.

- At the moment the Haramain rail only operates between Makkah and Madinah five days a week: Wednesday till Sunday. Your train booking has to correspond with your hotel booking. This is a downside because if your Madinah/Makkah hotel is reserved for a Monday or Tuesday, the Haramain train does not operate on those days, so you’d have no choice but to use taxi or coach.

- Cost

If you’re travelling alone, or with one other person, a train from Makkah to Madinah is worth it.

However, if you’re travelling in a group, taxi is likely to work out cheaper. It costs around 550 Riyals (£115) for a four seater from Makkah to Madinah (post covid-19, prices for taxis may have increased due to increased fuel and VAT costs). If we calculate the train journey for four people – 157.5 x 4 = 630 riyals. Plus approximately 100 riyals to pay for taxis to and from your hotel to Makkah and Madinah train stations, which adds upto around 730 riyals (£153).

- Total travel time

Let’s calculate the total time it takes to get from Makkah to Madinah via train.

The distance from the holy Mosque in Makkah, where your hotel should be close to, is around 15 minutes (you need give yourself extra time in case of traffic, especially in Makkah, as the roads can be quite congested during peak times). You want to reach the station 30 minutes beforehand to allow time to check-in. So that equals an hour. Then it takes 3 hours to get to Madinah (maybe 10 minutes or so earlier - if you’re lucky). From the train station at Madinah, you need to find a taxi, negotiate a price and make your way to your hotel, which will take around 30 minutes. Total time equals 4 hours and 30 minutes. So, in terms of total travel time, it works out more or less the same as taxi, which takes around 4 and a half to five hours.

With taxi, you can get from A to B. If you’re running slightly late, your driver will wait. With train however, you need to be on time and factor the traveling between your hotel and the train stations in Makkah and Madinah.

If you Google “haramain railway tickets”, chances are that you will get search results that show other Saudi railway websites or something totally different to what you’re looking for. Saudi Arabia has a number of railway lines, each with its own portal. The Haramain Railway too has its own portal.

Here is the link to book your train tickets: https://sar.hhr.sa/sites/sro/Pages/home.aspx

If you would like us to do it for a small fee, get in touch. We’d be more than happy to help!

Check out the Makkah to Madinah Travel Options blog for other ways to travel between Makkah and Madinah