Saudi Arabia Railways and Hitachi Rail sign Al Mashaaer metro revamp contract
Hitachi Rail said on 23 September 2026 that it and Saudi Arabia Railways have signed a contract to revamp the 18 km Al Mashaaer Al Muqaddassah Metro used during Hajj; the release gives no contract value.
Event / data period: 2026-09-23
Published: · Updated:

Hitachi Rail announced on 23 September 2026 that Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) and Hitachi Rail have signed a contract for the revamping of the Al Mashaaer Al Muqaddassah Metro Project (MMMP). The release says the contract will be formally executed by Carlo Piacenza, Signalling and Rail Solutions vice president for the Middle East and Africa at Hitachi Rail, and Dr. Bashar Al Malik, chief executive officer of SAR.
The metro carries pilgrims between Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat during the annual Hajj. The release describes the system as 18 kilometres long with nine stations and designed to carry approximately 72,000 passengers per hour per direction. Under the contract, SAR and Hitachi Rail are to revamp and enhance the system, with a focus on reliability, operational performance and long-term service sustainability.
The release does not state the contract value, the detailed scope or the schedule. It describes the contract as building on the longstanding partnership between SAR and Hitachi Rail and as supporting the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
Data
Metro system figures
System figures given for the Al Mashaaer Al Muqaddassah Metro in Hitachi Rail’s press release of 23 September 2026.
- System length
- 18 km
- 2026-09-23 · Observed
- Stations
- 9 stations
- 2026-09-23 · Observed
- Design passenger capacity
- ≈72,000 passengers per hour per direction
- 2026-09-23 · Target
Methodology
The figures describe the existing metro system as given in the release and do not show the contract scope. The release does not disclose the contract value, detailed scope or schedule, so none is shown.
Updated:
Subjects and places
Subject proposals
- Infrastructure projectsSuggested
- Preserved editorial category/topic; broad candidate onlynews.hitachirail.com ↗
- Railway transportSuggested
- Subject suggested from the title or summary: Railwaysnews.hitachirail.com ↗
Geographic references
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- Saudi Arabia · Place role: Coverage · Place type: Country or area · Location precision: RegionalEvidence
- Explicit preserved editorial country/region; no city or national centroid inferrednews.hitachirail.com ↗