Saudi Civil Defense fully controls fire at Haramain high-speed rail station

Saudi Civil Defense fully controls fire at Haramain high-speed rail station
September 30, 2019, 10:30 am

A fire broke out in the Haramain train station in Jeddah, with no immediate reports of injuries. (Twitter/@makkahregion)

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense authority said it has fully controlled the fire which broke out in the Haramain high-speed rail station in Jeddah on Sunday.

Earlier reports said that the fire injured five people.

“Five injured people were transferred to the hospital due to the fire in the Haramain high-speed rail station in Jeddah. 16 medical teams are working on the site of the fire,” the Mecca region official Twitter account tweeted.

Videos of the fire circulated on Twitter, showing thick billows of smoke. Civil defense forces and helicopters were seen trying to put out the fire. According to the Haramain high-speed railway's official Twitter page, the fire broke out at 12:35 p.m. local time (0935 GMT).

https://twitter.com/AlArabiya_Eng/status/1178275206437183490

The operator of the Haramain Railway said it suspended the train service until further notice for the safety of passengers.

The Haramain high-speed railway – which was inaugurated by King Salman bin Abdulaziz last September – links Mecca, Jeddah, King Abdullah Economic City, and Madinah. It begain its commercial operations in October 2018 between Mecca and Madinah.

As the first high-speed electric train in the region, the Haramain spans over 450 kilometers in a double line connecting five stations across Mecca, Jeddah, King Abdul Aziz International Airport, King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh, and Madinah.

It operates at a speed of 300 kilometers per hour and is the fastest train in the Middle East.