Haramain High-Speed Railway, Saudi Arabia – business class Jeddah to Madinah

Saudi Arabia spent $9.4 billion building a bullet train through the desert and honestly, looking at it, you can see where the money went. The Haramain High-Speed Railway connects Makkah and Madinah – Islam’s two holiest cities – at up to 300 km/h across 453 km of Arabian desert. It’s the first high-speed railway in the entire Middle East. And the wild part? You just buy a ticket and get on it.

If you just watched the vlog above and you’re sitting there thinking “wait, Saudi Arabia has a bullet train?” – yes. Yes it does. And business class on it is genuinely one of the more unusual luxury travel experiences you can have right now. Let’s break down everything – the stations, the lounge, what the business class seat is actually like, the meal service, hitting 300 km/h confirmed live on screen, and whether the upgrade is worth it.

So what actually is this train?

Before we get into the experience, here’s the context because the numbers are genuinely staggering:

• 🚄 Opened: October 11, 2018
• 📏 Total distance: 453 km (281.5 miles) main line
• ⚡ Maximum speed: 300 km/h (186 mph) – and yes, the vlog shows the onboard display confirming it live
• 💰 Construction cost: approximately US$9.4 billion
• 🚉 Five stations: Makkah, Jeddah Al-Sulaimaniya, Jeddah Airport (KAIA), King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), and Madinah
• 🚞 Train technology: Talgo 350 SRO – Spanish high-speed tech, the same system used on Spain’s AVE network, adapted for desert conditions
• 🌡️ Desert engineering: built to survive temperatures from 0°C to 50°C and sandstorms – not a small engineering challenge
• 💺 417 seats per train: 113 business class, 304 economy
• 🛐 Prayer area and cafeteria on every train

The Jeddah Airport to Madinah segment – the outbound journey in this vlog – takes around 1 hour 50 minutes. The full Makkah to Madinah route is about 2 hours 20 minutes. By road that same journey is 4-5 hours in normal traffic. During Hajj season it can be significantly worse. The train isn’t just more comfortable – it’s a completely different category of experience.

The stations – Foster + Partners designed these, by the way

Here’s something that will reset your expectations immediately: the HHR stations were designed by Foster + Partners. The same firm behind London’s Gherkin, Hong Kong International Airport and the Reichstag dome in Berlin. The brief was Islamic-inspired architecture with modern airport-level functionality. They delivered – these are not train stations, they’re landmarks.

🛫 Jeddah Airport Station (KAIA)

This is a genuinely brilliant piece of infrastructure. It’s located inside King Abdulaziz International Airport itself. You land in Jeddah, clear immigration, follow signs in the same terminal complex, and you’re at the train station. No transfer, no taxi, no drama. For pilgrims arriving from abroad this changes everything – what used to be a chaotic taxi scrum is now a clean modern station with ticketing kiosks, security, shops, prayer rooms and a business class VIP lounge.

The vlog shows the ticketing process here in real time – self-service kiosks work well and are the fastest option if you haven’t pre-booked online. The business class VIP lounge entrance is at the dedicated gate.

🏙️ Jeddah Al-Sulaimaniya Station

The central Jeddah city station, about 20 km from the airport in the Al-Naseem district. This is where the return leg of the vlog ends. If you’re staying in Jeddah rather than connecting from the airport, this is your station. The sunset Jeddah segment of the vlog – Al-Balad, the Corniche, the floating mosque – is filmed around here.

🕌 Madinah Station

The northern terminus and architecturally the most striking station on the line. Designed specifically with pilgrims in mind. Business class VIP lounge on both arrival and departure. The vlog covers the Madinah lounge on the return journey – comfortable, well-equipped, and notably calmer than peak pilgrimage season reviews suggest it can get.

One thing that catches people out: HHR stations are not in city centers. They’re all away from the main urban areas and you need Careem or Uber to reach them from most hotels. Build in significant extra time – in Makkah especially, traffic around the Grand Mosque at prayer times can add 30-60 minutes to any journey. Arrive at least 60 minutes before departure. Miss your train and you’re buying a new ticket. No exceptions.

Business class vs economy – the honest breakdown

Let’s just be upfront about what business class on the Haramain actually is, because expectations matter here.

This is not Emirates first class. It’s not a private suite. It’s a premium train seat – think airline business class on a short European hop, wider seats, better service, lounge access, meal included. That’s the level. For a journey of under two hours through the Saudi desert that’s completely fine – it just helps to know going in rather than expecting something it isn’t.

✅ What business class actually gives you

• Significantly wider seats with proper legroom – 2+1 configuration, airline premium style
• Foldable armrests and tables
• Personal headrest
• Power outlets at every seat – USB and standard plug
• Personal video screen
• Meal service – hot food, tea and juices, starts shortly after departure. Consistently described in reviews as better than expected – not fine dining but a proper hot meal for under two hours
• VIP lounge access at all stations – separate seating, refreshments, Wi-Fi, charging
• Priority boarding
• Cafeteria car access in the fifth coach from boarding. The vlog shows a café latte purchase here

⚠️ The honest caveats

• The VIP lounges are inconsistent. Some travelers find them genuinely comfortable and well-stocked. Others have reported broken coffee machines, long queues and indifferent staff – particularly during peak Umrah and Hajj when the whole system is under maximum pressure. The vlog shows a solid February 2026 experience
• The cafe car is a bit of a lottery. The vlog shows a proper café latte. One reviewer found only instant 3-in-1 sachets. Your experience may differ
• Wi-Fi exists and is covered in the vlog. It’s unreliable in practice. Get a Saudi SIM card at the airport – Zain, STC and Mobily all have desks at KAIA arrivals – and treat train Wi-Fi as a bonus if it works
• Dry journey throughout – no alcohol anywhere in Saudi Arabia, including on the train

💰 What it costs – real fares from this vlog

• Jeddah Airport to Madinah, business class: SAR 349.6 – approximately USD 93
• Madinah to Jeddah Al-Sulaimaniya, business class: SAR 361.1 – approximately USD 96

Economy on the same routes runs roughly SAR 150-180 (USD 40-48). Business class is about double economy. For under two hours on a route where the road alternative takes four to five hours, that premium is reasonable – particularly when VIP lounge access at both ends is included.

Book early. Prices increase significantly as departure approaches, and spike hard during Ramadan, Hajj and weekends. Booking three months ahead reportedly saves around 27% on average. The official HHR website also runs promotional discounts up to 50% periodically – worth checking before locking in a fare.

The ride itself – what you’re actually looking at for two hours

🏜️ The scenery

The vlog spends real time on the window and it’s worth watching. The Hejaz desert between Jeddah and Madinah is stark, flat, alien and strangely beautiful – rippling sand dunes, endless plains, rocky outcrops appearing and disappearing. The occasional camel herd visible from a train doing 300 km/h, which never stops being a slightly surreal image.

It’s not the Swiss Alps. It is Saudi Arabia at full speed and it has a quality entirely its own. And then comes the moment the onboard display confirms 300 km/h – and watching that number while the desert blurs past the window is one of those small travel moments that genuinely lands bigger than you’d expect.

🍽️ The meal service

Business class meal service starts shortly after departure. Hot food, proper tray setup, juices and tea included. Consistently described across reviews as genuinely decent – not a meal you’ll be talking about for years but absolutely not the sad sandwich situation you might expect. For a sub-two-hour journey this is a solid offering.

🛐 Prayer facilities

Dedicated prayer area on every train. Worth knowing for planning purposes – some passengers observe prayer times during the journey, which affects the rhythm of onboard service slightly.

Jeddah – actually worth your time

The vlog’s Jeddah segment is filmed at sunset and makes a compelling case for treating this as a destination rather than a connection point.

• 🌊 Al-Balad (Historic Jeddah) – UNESCO World Heritage Site, a medieval coral-built trading port with extraordinary Rawasheen wooden latticework balconies and ancient merchant houses. One of the most architecturally distinctive historic districts in the Arab world and almost completely under the radar internationally
• 🌅 Jeddah Corniche – 30 km Red Sea waterfront promenade, one of the longest in the world, spectacular at sunset
• ⛲ King Fahd Fountain – the world’s tallest at 312 meters, visible across the city at night
• 🤿 Red Sea diving and snorkeling – Jeddah sits on one of the world’s great reef systems, accessible right from the city shores

Food-wise – Jeddah has arguably the best eating scene in Saudi Arabia. Centuries of port city trade means extraordinary seafood, strong Egyptian and Yemeni culinary influence, and a rapidly growing modern restaurant scene. Al-Balad specifically has excellent traditional Hejazi street food at prices that will make you genuinely happy.

Madinah – the destination at the other end

The vlog’s Madinah segment runs from the 26-minute mark. For the full breakdown – the Prophet’s Mosque, Jannat Al-Baqi, Quba Mosque, the date markets – check our dedicated Madinah hotel guide. The short version:

• 🕌 Al Masjid an Nabawi – the Prophet’s Mosque, one of the largest and most sacred in the world. A short distance from Madinah Station
• ⚰️ Jannat Al-Baqi Cemetery – adjacent to the mosque, one of the holiest burial sites in Islam
• 🕌 Quba Mosque – the first mosque built in Islamic history, about 5 km from the city center
• 🌴 Date markets – Madinah dates are world-famous and buying them at the source, straight from stalls around the mosque, is a completely different thing to buying them at an airport

How to book

1. Official HHR website (sar.hhr.sa) – best prices, English and Arabic, instant QR code ticket. Right answer for most people
2. Self-service kiosks at stations – shown working well in the vlog at Jeddah Airport Station. Credit cards accepted. Good for same-day bookings
3. Third-party platforms like Rail Ninja – work fine but charge a service fee on top. Only use if the official site is giving you problems

Bring your passport and QR code ticket. Boarding is airport-style – bag scan, security check, gate. Allow 60 minutes minimum before departure. Miss the train, buy a new ticket. No flexibility on this.

Modest dress consistent with Saudi customs is required on board – worth knowing especially for first-time visitors.

Here’s the thing about the Haramain. Saudi Arabia only opened properly to international tourism in 2019. This train – $9.4 billion, Spanish Talgo technology, Foster + Partners stations, 300 km/h through the Arabian desert – is part of a country transforming in real time. Riding it right now, in this specific window of Saudi Arabia opening to the world, has a timestamp on it. It won’t feel the same in ten years when it’s just normal infrastructure. Right now it still feels remarkable. Get on it.

Frequently asked questions

📹 Video by ST Travel