Issue date: 24 Sep, 2018
ENGINEERING. THE SPANISH-BUILT MECCA-MEDINA HIGH-SPEED RAILWAY.
This large-scale project, carried out by an 88% Spanish consortium with companies including ADIF, Renfe Operadora, INECO, Talgo, Cobra, Consultrans, Copasa, Dimetronic, Inabensa (Abengoa), Imathia, Indra and OHL, consists of the creation of a high-speed line between the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
The work has not been easy – the railway line is particularly difficult to build because of the extremely high temperatures and the desert sand, present along most of the route.
The 445 kilometre-distance between the two cities “will seem shorter” thanks to the Talgo trains, which will reach maximum speeds of around 320 kilometres per hour.
The five stations along the route have been designed by Norman Foster. These five stations are: Mecca, Jeddah, Jeddah Airport, King Abdullah Economic City and Medina.
The Premium Sheet celebrating this ambitious feat of engineering depicts railway lines crossing the desert sands. Twelve stamps show an illustration with three of the most significant elements of this project: a train very similar to Spain’s AVE; the Kaaba, named due to its cubic shape and its corners pointing towards the points of the compass; and the vivid green dome of the Mosque of the Prophet, which houses the tomb of Muhammad. There is a fourth aspect that makes this stamp very special: it is encrusted with sand.
The “AVE of the desert”, or “pilgrims’ AVE”, made its first journey on 31 December 2017. The demonstration began at 11:55 at Medina Station and ended at 14:43, having reached 300 kilometres per hour during parts of the journey. The goal is to bring the total journey time to under two hours.
Although the AVE to Mecca is a long way from Spain, we can feel proud of the part we've played in the project.
Rate A - €0.75. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, up to 20 g.
Rate A2 - €0.85. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, between 20 g and 50 g.
Rate B - €1.65. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to Europe (including Greenland), up to 20 g.
Rate C - €1.75. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the rest of the world (except USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand), up to 20 g.
Rate D - €2.10. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, up to 20 g.