Spain’s Indra Group Announces that it will continue to support and operate the technological rail traffic management, signalling, telecommunications, booking, ticketing, access control, safety and IT systems with which it has equipped the Mecca-Medina high-speed line (Haramain High-Speed Railway) in Saudi Arabia, following the contract extension of the operation and maintenance contract awarded to the Consorcio Español Alta Velocidad Meca Medina (CEAVMM) by Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR), the country’s national railway company.
The agreement, which represents an increase in Indra Group’s order backlog of more than €130 million, includes an extension of at least five years. The new contract signed by the Spanish consortium will incorporate 20 additional trains, which will also be fitted with Indra Group’s telecommunications systems.
The company’s integrated rail traffic management systems (TMS) on the line linking the two Saudi cities are essential for the safe and efficient operation of its 450-plus kilometres of track and the transport of the 900,000 passengers it currently handles each month, who also use Indra’s ticket sales and reservation technologies. With train traffic volumes reaching 1.8 million kilometres per month, Indra Group’s solutions enable high levels of operational performance and punctuality on the Mecca–Medina high-speed line.
The company is responsible for the telecommunications systems that guarantee reliable real-time communications between the trains, stations and operational staff and the Jeddah Control Centre. This centre, designed and equipped by Indra Group, centralises the supervision and coordination of the operations across the entire infrastructure, anticipating operational situations, streamlining decision-making, providing a rapid response to any eventuality, helping to reduce travel times and optimising the overall efficiency of the service.
Indra Group has also renewed the operation and maintenance of its next-generation ticketing systems incorporating electronic payment and advanced access control systems. These are based on contactless technology to allow the automatic and manual issuance and sale of the tickets. These solutions can manage the 950,000-plus bookings made online, thanks to the platform developed by Indra Group.
The renewal of the contract for the Mecca-Medina high-speed line, one of the most advanced railway projects in recent years, will enhance Indra Group’s role in the technological transformation of mobility in Saudi Arabia. Within the country, the company performs the comprehensive management of Riyadh’s ticketing system, which caters for over 800 buses, BRT lines and sales and validation solutions by means of EMV, mobile devices and smart watches, statement mentioned.
