عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Saudi Arabia’s Haramain High Speed Railway Eases Pilgrim Travel Between Makkah, Madinah

With a capacity for 60 million passengers a year and speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour, the Haramain High Speed Railway meets the increasing demand for transportation services in Saudi Arabia. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
With a capacity for 60 million passengers a year and speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour, the Haramain High Speed Railway meets the increasing demand for transportation services in Saudi Arabia. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT
TT

Saudi Arabia’s Haramain High Speed Railway Eases Pilgrim Travel Between Makkah, Madinah

With a capacity for 60 million passengers a year and speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour, the Haramain High Speed Railway meets the increasing demand for transportation services in Saudi Arabia. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
With a capacity for 60 million passengers a year and speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour, the Haramain High Speed Railway meets the increasing demand for transportation services in Saudi Arabia. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Pilgrims arriving in Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj season will benefit from a well-organized transportation system. The system ensures pilgrims safe and comfortable travel between Makkah and Medina, enhancing their spiritual journey.

In the past, pilgrims traveled between Makkah and Madinah on camelback, a journey that took almost 10 days. Now, with cars and buses, it’s down to about 6 hours.

But with the “Haramain High Speed Railway,” pilgrims can make the trip in just 135 minutes.

Once on board, pilgrims have everything they need for a comfortable journey, allowing them to focus on their worship and prayers. The railway project, one of the largest in the Middle East, is providing around 1.6 million seats on 3,800 trips for pilgrims and visitors this Hajj season.

The train stations in Makkah and Madinah are conveniently located near the holy sites.

With a capacity for 60 million passengers a year and speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour, the railway meets the increasing demand for transportation services.

At the train stations in the al-Sulaymaniyah district and King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat observed smooth passenger traffic. Local staff warmly welcomed the pilgrims, assisting them with inquiries and guiding them to departure lounges while informing them of train schedules.

Passenger journeys start with quick procedures, checking reservations and luggage allowances. Passengers then move to the departure lounge and to their seats, which are comfortable with individual screens.

The train provides services for business class and support for passengers with special needs.

Operations run with 35 electric trains, each carrying up to 417 passengers. These trains have 13 carriages, five for business class and eight for economy, all equipped with food vending carts.

Many travelers praised the top-notch care they received upon arriving in Saudi Arabia, highlighting the Haramain High Speed Railway.

The pilgrims appreciated the “excellent and outstanding” services that made traveling between the two holy cities easier.

E-services let travelers book early, check schedules, and choose departure stations.

The smooth running of train journeys and punctual schedules across different stations show how well the teams manage the numerous daily trips along the electric railway track.

Stations are located in Makkah, Madinah, al-Sulaymaniyah district, King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, and King Abdullah Economic City station in the Rabigh governorate.

The stations’ architectural design is inspired by the landmarks of Makkah and Madinah, reflecting their Islamic and unique architectural styles. The stations offer various traveler services like parking, e-booking, ticket counters, and assistance desks.

The station at King Abdulaziz International Airport is the world’s largest airport-connected train station, covering over 105,000 square meters with multiple floors and six platforms, making it easy for travelers heading to Makkah or Madinah.

Since its launch in 2018, the Haramain High Speed Railway’s success has made booking, scheduling, and travel between the holy sites easier for a growing number of passengers.

Built with high-quality standards and safety features, the train plays a crucial role in Saudi Arabia’s railway network development and expansion plan.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

What Is ALS, the Disease That Killed Actor Eric Dane?

US actor Eric Dane speaks about his ALS diagnosis during a news conference to discuss health insurance at the Department of Health and Human Services Headquarters in Washington, DC, on June 23, 2025. (AFP)
US actor Eric Dane speaks about his ALS diagnosis during a news conference to discuss health insurance at the Department of Health and Human Services Headquarters in Washington, DC, on June 23, 2025. (AFP)
TT
TT

What Is ALS, the Disease That Killed Actor Eric Dane?

US actor Eric Dane speaks about his ALS diagnosis during a news conference to discuss health insurance at the Department of Health and Human Services Headquarters in Washington, DC, on June 23, 2025. (AFP)
US actor Eric Dane speaks about his ALS diagnosis during a news conference to discuss health insurance at the Department of Health and Human Services Headquarters in Washington, DC, on June 23, 2025. (AFP)

Eric Dane, known for his roles on "Grey’s Anatomy" and "Euphoria," died this week from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at age 53.

The fatal nervous system disease, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, killed Dane less than a year after he announced his diagnosis.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ALS is rare. In 2022, there were nearly 33,000 estimated cases, say researchers, who project that cases will rise to more than 36,000 by 2030.

The disease is slightly more common in men than in women and tends to strike in midlife, between the ages of 40 and 60.

Here’s what to know.

What is ALS? It affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control and getting worse over time.

ALS causes nerve cells in the upper and lower parts of the body to stop working and die. Nerves no longer trigger specific muscles, eventually leading to paralysis. People with ALS may develop problems with mobility, speaking, swallowing and breathing.

The exact cause of the disease is unknown, and Mayo Clinic experts said a small number of cases are inherited.

It’s called Lou Gehrig’s disease after the Hall of Fame New York Yankees player. Gehrig was diagnosed with ALS in 1939 on his 36th birthday, died in 1941 and was the face of ALS for decades.

What are some signs of ALS? Experts say the first symptoms are often subtle. The disease may begin with muscle twitching and weakness in an arm or leg.

Over time, muscles stop acting and reacting correctly, said experts at University of California San Francisco Health. People may lose strength and coordination in their arms and legs; feet and ankles may become weak; and muscles in the arms, shoulders and tongue may cramp or twitch. Swallowing and speaking may become difficult and fatigue may set in.

The ability to think, see, hear, smell, taste and touch are usually not affected, UCSF experts said.

Eventually, muscles used for breathing may become paralyzed. Patients may be unable to swallow and inhale food or saliva. Most people with ALS die of respiratory failure.

How is ALS diagnosed and treated? The disease is difficult to diagnose because there’s no test or procedure to confirm it. Generally, doctors will perform a physical exam, lab tests and imaging of the brain and spinal cord.

A doctor may interpret certain things as signs of ALS, including an unusual flexing of the toes, diminished fine motor coordination, painful muscle cramps, twitching and spasticity, a type of stiffness causing jerky movements.

There’s no known cure for ALS, but the drug riluzole has been approved for treatment. According to the Mayo Clinic, it may extend survival in the early stages of the disease or extend the time until a breathing tube is needed.

Another much-debated drug, Relyvrio, was pulled from the US market by Amylyx Pharmaceuticals in 2024. Its development had been financed, in part, by the ALS Association, the major beneficiary of the 2014 " ice bucket challenge " viral phenomenon.

Other medications are sometimes prescribed to help control symptoms.

Choking is common as ALS progresses, so patients may need feeding tubes. People may also use braces, wheelchairs, speech synthesizers or computer-based communication systems.

After the onset of the disease, experts say patients may survive from two years to a decade. Most people live from two to five years after symptoms develop, and about a fifth live more than five years after they are diagnosed.

Varieties

Snowstorm Paralyzes Vienna Airport

People wait at a tram stop after heavy snowfalls in Vienna, Austria, February 20, 2026. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl
People wait at a tram stop after heavy snowfalls in Vienna, Austria, February 20, 2026. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl
TT
TT

Snowstorm Paralyzes Vienna Airport

People wait at a tram stop after heavy snowfalls in Vienna, Austria, February 20, 2026. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl
People wait at a tram stop after heavy snowfalls in Vienna, Austria, February 20, 2026. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl

Massive snowstorms caused power outages and transport chaos in Austria on Friday, forcing the Vienna airport to temporarily halt all flights.

Flights departing from the capital, a major European hub, were cancelled or delayed, and more than 230 arrivals were similarly disrupted or rerouted.

"Passengers whose flights have been delayed are asked not to come to the airport," the facility said in a statement.

The area received 20 centimeters (nearly eight inches) of snow, national news agency APA reported.

The main highway south of Vienna was closed for several hours, and other sections of highway were temporarily inaccessible because of snowdrift, stranded lorries or poor visibility, said the national automobile association, OAMTC.

According to AFP, electric companies reported power outages in several regions in the south and east, including Styria, where 30,000 homes lost electricity.

The weather was forecast to improve from around midday, but the risk of avalanches remained high.

Varieties

NASA Delivers Harsh Assessment of Botched Boeing Starliner Test Flight

NASA duo Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were stuck on the ISS for nine months. Handout / NASA TV/AFP/File
NASA duo Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were stuck on the ISS for nine months. Handout / NASA TV/AFP/File
TT
TT

NASA Delivers Harsh Assessment of Botched Boeing Starliner Test Flight

NASA duo Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were stuck on the ISS for nine months. Handout / NASA TV/AFP/File
NASA duo Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were stuck on the ISS for nine months. Handout / NASA TV/AFP/File

NASA on Thursday blamed what it called engineering vulnerabilities in Boeing's Starliner spacecraft along with internal agency mistakes in a sharply critical report assessing a botched mission that left two astronauts stranded in space.

The US space agency labeled the 2024 test flight of the Starliner capsule a "Type A" mishap -- the same classification as the deadly Challenger and Columbia shuttle disasters -- a category that reflects the "potential for a significant mishap," it said.

The failures left a pair of NASA astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station for nine months in a mission that captured global attention and became a political flashpoint.

"Starliner has design and engineering deficiencies that must be corrected, but the most troubling failure revealed by this investigation is not hardware. It's decision-making and leadership," said NASA administrator Jared Isaacman in a briefing.

"If left unchecked," he said, this mismanagement "could create a culture incompatible with human spaceflight."

The top space official said the investigation found that a concern for the reputation of Boeing's Starliner clouded an earlier internal probe into the incident.

"Programmatic advocacy exceeded reasonable bounds and place the mission, the crew and America's space program at risk in ways that were not fully understood at the time," Isaacman said.

He said Starliner currently "is less reliable for crew survival than other crewed vehicles" and that "NASA will not fly another crew on Starliner until technical causes are understood and corrected" and a problematic propulsion system is fixed.

But the administrator insisted that "NASA will continue to work with Boeing, as we do all of our partners that are undertaking test flights."

In a statement, Boeing said it has "made substantial progress on corrective actions for technical challenges we encountered and driven significant cultural changes across the team that directly align with the findings in the report."

- 'We failed them' -

Isaacman also had harsh words for internal conduct at NASA.

"We managed the contract. We accepted the vehicle, we launched the crew to space. We made decisions from docking through post-mission actions," he told journalists.

"A considerable portion of the responsibility and accountability rests here."

In June 2024 Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams embarked on what was meant to be an eight-to-14-day mission. But this turned into nine months after propulsion problems emerged in orbit and the Starliner spacecraft was deemed unfit to fly them back.

The ex-Navy pilots were reassigned to the NASA-SpaceX Crew-9 mission. A Dragon spacecraft flew to the ISS that September with a team of two, rather than the usual four, to make room for the stranded pair.

The duo, both now retired, were finally able to arrive home safely in March 2025.

"They have so much grace, and they're so competent, the two of them, and we failed them," NASA associate administrator Amit Kshatriya told Thursday's briefing.

"The agency failed them."

Kshatriya said the details of the report were "hard to hear" but that "transparency" was the only path forward.

"This is not about pointing fingers," he said. "It's about making sure that we are holding each other accountable."

Both Boeing and SpaceX were commissioned to handle missions to the ISS more than a decade ago.