Siemens powers the metro in Mecca and brings pilgrims to their destinations in comfort

Siemens’ Mobility Division has successfully completed the first phase of electrification of the “Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro” project. This new rail link along the pilgrimage route in Mecca has meanwhile entered service. Designed to transport 72,000 passengers per hour per direction, it is helping pilgrims to travel quickly and comfortably between the holy sites in and around Mecca.

The “Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro” project is a 18-kilometer rapid transit line from Mina to Arafat. Mina lies about five kilometers from the Holy Mosque in Mecca. The line serves nine stations and runs alongside the route of the pilgrims to the Plain of Arafat.

The metro trains can run on the route at speeds up to 80 km/h. The Mobility Division of Siemens supplied and installed the complete railway electrification, including the traction power substations with 110 kV high-voltage systems, extensive 13.8 kV and 1.5 kV equipment and cabling, and the overhead catenary lines. The line is fed with 1.5 kV DC from eleven substations.

Since the 1930s, Siemens has been heavily involved in the development of the transportation infrastructure of Saudi Arabia. As one of the most important players in this sector, the Mobility Division has set milestones for rail operations in the biggest country in the Middle East. The rail link between Dammam and Riyadh has recently been equipped with state-of-the-art signaling and telecommunications technology and with the European Train Control System (ETCS). It was the first time this technology had been implemented in the Arab world.