Turkey is preparing to revive an important project, the Istanbul-Hejaz Railway is being rebuilt after a 100-year hiatus. The Istanbul-Mecca line, the foundation of which was laid on September 1, 1900 and which has been put into service in stages since 1904, will be revived. With the re-opening of the line, which is one of the most important projects of Abdulhamid Khan, the journey between Istanbul and Mecca will be reduced to 24 hours by high-speed train. The high-speed railway network, which will carry two million passengers per year, will later include Jeddah and Medina.
The Jordan and Syrian feet of the project, which covers four countries, will be integrated into the Arabia rail network. The Saudi Arabian government also attaches great importance to the Istanbul Mecca Fast Railway Project. Thanks to the project, the authorities, who stated that the trade volume between the countries of the region will increase, will be able to reach Medina from Edirne without interruption. TCDD General Manager Süleyman Karaman stated in his statement to the Journal of Architects and Engineers that the rehabilitation work carried out within the scope of the project is continuing.
The last time was held in 1918. The railway destroyed by the British after that date has not been used again. The cross between Damascus and Medina, which had been vaccinated in 40 days up to that day, started to be covered in ‚3 days.
The Hejaz Railway was actually started with an official ceremony in Damascus on September 1, 1900. On September 1, 1904, the line reached Maan, located at the 460th kilometer. The Haifa line, which will connect the Hicaz Railway to the Mediterranean, ended in September 1905. The length of the Hicaz Railway in 1918, along with other subsidiary lines, exceeded 1900 kilometers. After the commissioning of Hicaz Railroad, between Haifa and Damascus, each day, there were cross trainings of passengers and merchandise between Damascus and Medina. While the Damascus-Medina route was covered with camels in 40 days before, the same distance as Hicaz Railway decreased to 72 hours (3 days). Moreover, departure times were arranged in accordance with prayer times. With an application launched from 1911, special train services were organized on religious and national holidays. After 1918, the transportation could not be made until the occupation forces destroyed the railway and took over the region.
Turkey started with the high-speed train station project, primarily for reviving Hijaz railway Istanbul-Ankara-Konya high speed rail line brought to the stage of completion of construction. Ankara-Konya High Speed Line was put into service. Konya-Karaman-Adana border rehabilitation project continues. There are similar studies in Syria ‚Jordan and Saudi Arabia. It will complete its projects between 2012 and 2015. When the project is over, a train departing from Istanbul will arrive in Mecca in 24 hours. The system, which will have a capacity of at least 2 million passengers per year, will be included in the European transport network when the Marmaray Project and Istanbul-Edirne High Speed Train Project are completed.
The timetables of the trains to the Hejaz were arranged in accordance with the prayer times. Train. At the stations, passengers were waiting to make their prayers. There was also an officer who had muezzin on the pilgrimage five times a day.
