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