Haramain High-speed Railway Stations, Saudi Arabia Building, Project, Design Development by Foster + Partners / Buro Happold in Middle East e-architect			World Architecture : index Buildings architect: Foster + Partners Architecture News
Haramain High-speed Railway Saudi Arabia : Architecture
22 Apr 2009 Foster + Partners and Buro Happold joint venture to design four stations for Saudi Arabia’s new Haramain High-speed Railway Foster + Partners and Buro Happold joint venture has been appointed to design four stations along a new high speed railway line in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which will link the cities of Makkah and Madinah via Jeddah. The Haramain High-speed Railway (HHR) is a major infrastructure project, conceived to forge new social and economic links by dramatically cutting journey times between the cities in western Saudi Arabia and by providing a new transport option for many of the pilgrims making the journey to the religious cities of Makkah and Madinah. Passing via Jeddah and the King Abdullah Economic City, the new HHR service will be operated by state-of-the-art, high-speed trains, capable of reaching speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour. By providing an attractive alternative to the use of private vehicles, the scheme will considerably lessen the future impact of these journeys on the environment. The HHR’s fast-track construction programme has led to a modularised approach to the station design with a high degree of prefabrication. While all stations will share a common planning strategy, each will have a distinct identity and building envelope to respond to the respective cities they serve. All will provide extensive facilities and a high quality passenger experience, with generous circulation spaces and segregated arrival and departure zones. The public areas – including platforms – will be environmentally controlled to enhance comfort and will have filtered natural daylight throughout. Mouzhan Majidi, Chief Executive of Foster + Partners, said: “The Haramain High-speed Rail project represents a major investment in sustainable public transport by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with potentially far-reaching social and economic consequences. The project will foster new social and cultural connections across the Kingdom’s western cities, and the design of the four new stations will support and symbolise this progressive approach.” Martin Walsh, Project Director at Buro Happold, said: “The HHR is a genuinely exciting and challenging project and one of the most important transportation initiatives in the Kingdom. The innovative scalable modular approach to the design of the stations will enable the speedy delivery of high-quality station buildings – fast-track in every sense.” Haramain High-speed Railway Station architect - Foster + Partners Saudi Arabia Architecture Also by Foster + Partners in Saudi Arabia: Al Faisaliah Complex, Riyadh 2000 image : Nigel Young, Foster & Partners Al Faisaliah Complex Alrriyadh Ritz Carlton Tower Building King Abdulaziz Library King Abdullah Economic City World Architecture : e-architect - a guide to key buildings across the globe World Buildings Comments / photos for the Haramain High-speed Railway Stations Saudi Arabia Architecture page welcome:info@e-architect.co.uk Haramain High-speed Railway Stations : page - adrian welch / isabelle lomholt			Buildings by this architect: Russia Tower Crystal Island Tower Beijing Airport Building Swiss Re London Smithsonian Institute City of Justice Madrid Caja Tower Key Building Links: New Houses Saudi Arabian Tower Building Architecture Studios Architects Saudi Arabian Building