Mecca Metro

Not to be confused with Haramain High Speed Rail Project.
Al Mashaaer Al Muqaddassah Metro

The Mecca Metro will follow the route of Hajj pilgrims
Overview
Type Elevated rail
Status Phase I open[1]
Locale Mecca
Termini Resaifah
Arafat
Stations 15
Services 5
Operation
Opened 13 November 2010[1]
Rolling stock Changchun Railway Vehicles
Technical
Line length 18.1 kilometres (11.2 mi)
No. of tracks 4
Track gauge 1435 mm
Operating speed 100 km/h (62 mph)

The Mecca Metro, officially the Al Mashaaer Al Muqaddassah Metro, is an 18.1 kilometres (11.2 mi) long elevated metro in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia,[2] which opened in November 2010.[1]

Contents

Background

The metro will transport pilgrims between holy sites in Mecca, Mount Arafat, Muzdalifa and Mina to reduce congestion caused by buses and cars during the Hajj. It will also carry pilgrims performing Umrah throughout the year. Once complete, the Saudis estimate 53,000 buses will disappear from the city’s crowded roads, promising a safer, more comfortable pilgrimage.[3]

The metro was opened on 13 November 2010 for Hajj Operations (Hajj 1431),[1] in time for the Hajj between 25 and 29 November.[4] It will initially operate at 35% capacity with automatic train protection to assist manual driving.[2] A member of staff will be retained onboard once driverless operation is introduced in mid-2011. Makkah Metro is stated to be the world's fastest design, build to operate metro in the world at 21 months. When fully operational during Hajj 2011 (Hajj 1432), it will be able to transport 72,000+ pilgrims /hour in full automatic mode. With up to 8 million passenger journeys forecast during the week of the Hajj in November 2011, it will then be the most intensley used Metro in the world during the period of the Hajj pilgrimage.

The line is elevated at a height varying between 8 metres (26 ft) and 10 metres (33 ft). It is designed to carry up to 72,000 passengers/hour/direction in time for the 2011 Hajj.[2][5]

Although the metro uses conventional steel wheel on rail technology, it is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a 'monorail'.[5]

Route

The initial line may be extended later to Al Haram and will be the first of a proposed five-line network which would connect the area to Jeddah airport and the future Haramain High Speed Rail Project high speed rail network.[2]

  1. Phase 1, The Pink Line, is a loop of four parallel lines between Mena, Muzdalifa and Arafat with three pick-up/drop-off stations at each place. The four-line loop splits into single tracks covering all the encampment zones in Mina. Mina will be the last station for the metro line and will be located towards the west of the Jamarat Bridge. The Pink Line will be linked to all four floors of the bridge by elevators. The four parallel lines move south towards Arafat before reaching a main station next to the Arafat Mosque and splitting again into single lines to carry pilgrims into Arafat. The lines come together again and move towards Muzdelefa where pilgrims will spend ceremonial time before returning to Mina. The line will run on a viaduct with the depot at the end of the trail behind the first station in Arafat. A turnaround loop is planned between the last station and the depot. Passengers can transfer to the Red Line or the Blue line at Mena station. This line opened in November 2010.[6]
  2. Phase 2, the Red Line, is a straight link between Mena and Mecca.
  3. Phase 3 and 3A , the Orange Line, will connect Mecca to large multilevel parking facilities at Resaifah to the west and other parking facilities to the south.
  4. Phase 4, the Blue Line, will connect Mena to the west side of Mecca through a big loop to the north. Phase 4A is a straight extension south off the Blue Line loop.
  5. Phase 5, the Yellow Line, circles Mecca with a straight extension to the north. It connects to the Red Line, the Blue Line and the Orange Line, thus facilitating continuous metro service between the parking areas and Arafat.[7]

Construction

China Railway Construction Corp was responsible for infrastructure construction and systems integration under the 6.7 billion riyal phase I contract which was awarded by the Saudi Arabian government in February 2009 following a visit by President Hu Jintao of China.[8]

CRCC carried out construction of the project infrastructure and integrated and subcontracted various systems.[9]

Several subcontracts were awarded. Siemens provided the Overhead Line Catenary System supplied at 1500 V DC.Westinghouse Platform Screen Doors supplied the platform screen doors,[4][10] Siemens power supplies, and WS Atkins is responsible for electrical and mechanical systems and project management.[2] Thales supplied Seltrac Communications-Based Train Control, an operations control centre, CCTV, SCADA and passenger information systems.[2] Systra supervised the civil work, and Lloyds Register has been appointed as safety assessor.[2] Serco provides operations and maintenance consultancy. TUV Rheinland provided consultancy and support for the development of HSQE Management Systems, production of the System-Wide and O&M Safety Cases and acceptance by the Saudi Railway Commission (SRC) for the issue of the Operating License and Safety Certificate for Phase 2 Hajj Operations in 2011 (Hajj 1432).

Rolling stock

On 4 April 2009 Changchun Railway Vehicles was awarded a contract to supply 17 Type A 12-car metro trainsets.[2] Each set will have eight motor and four trailer cars, all with aluminium bodies. A Type A car is 22.3 metres long and 3 metres wide.[11] Knorr-Bremse will supply the braking systems[10] with modifications to suit sandy conditions.[4]

The first trainset was shipped from China in May 2010 and the last was due to arrive by the end of 2010.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Hajj pilgrims take the metro to Makkah". Railway Gazette International. 15 November 2010. http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/hajj-pilgrims-take-the-metro-to-makkah.html. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Makkah metro contracts signed". Railway Gazette International. 2009-06-24. http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view//makkah-metro-contracts-signed.html. Retrieved 26 February 2010. 
  3. ^ Barry, Keith (2009-09-08). "Take the Monorail to Mecca". Condé Nast Digital. http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/09/take-the-monorail-to-mecca/. 
  4. ^ a b c d "Hajj trains shipped to Makkah". Railway Gazette International. 2010-05-18. http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/10/hajj-trains-shipped-to-makkah.html. 
  5. ^ a b "China to build Mecca monorail". Straits Times. 2-12-2009. http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_337287.html. Retrieved 27 February 2010. 
  6. ^ "Railway Gazette: Hajj pilgrims take the metro to Makkah". http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/hajj-pilgrims-take-the-metro-to-makkah.html. Retrieved 2010-11-17. 
  7. ^ "Makkah Metro Map". Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro Project, Saudi Arabia. railway-technology.com. 2010. http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/al-mashaaer-al-mugad/al-mashaaer-al-mugad3.html. Retrieved 28 February 2010. 
  8. ^ "World rail market March 2009". Railway Gazette International. 2009-03-08. http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view//world-rail-market-march-2009.html. Retrieved 3 March 2010. 
  9. ^ "Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro Project, Saudi Arabia". Industry Projects. RailwayTechnology.com. 2010. http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/al-mashaaer-al-mugad/. Retrieved 27 February 2010. 
  10. ^ a b "Knorr-Bremse in Mecca". Railways Africa. 2009-07-03. http://www.railwaysafrica.com/2009/07/knorr-bremse-in-mecca/. Retrieved 27 February 2010. 
  11. ^ Sharon Lee (2009-05-11). "CSR Zhuzhou: A Contract of 150 Metro Vehicles Valued RMB 1.1 Billion". Rednet.cn. http://english.rednet.cn/c/2009/05/11/1758916.htm. Retrieved 27 February 2010.