Author: Nabeelah Hajat-Murad
Last Updated: 26 October 2022
1. How to book the HHR train?
– Download HHR app
– Add the passes to Apple Wallet
2. What are the current prices of the HHR train?
– It depends on what date and time of day you’d like to book, the earlier the better. We booked 2 days before leaving for Madinah
– Economy class: 150 – 250 SAR ONE WAY
– Business class: 350 – 400 SAR ONE WAY
3. What are the luggage allowances when using the HHR train?
– Allowed 1 x 23kg bag and 1 x 7kg hand luggage, our bags weren’t weighed when we got to the station though. They weren’t too strict on the amount of pieces. We had a food bag along with a shopping bag filled with drinks and snacks
– Make sure your luggage dimensions are not too big or else it won’t be able to go with you on the train
– You pay an extra SAR 58 and it goes via cargo, reaches you in the evening, you then have to pick it up from the train station yourself later on
– Cargo won’t apply to excess baggage that meet sizing requirements, it’ll go with you on the train
– Trolley hire per trolley is 5 SAR
– Trolley hire with labourer 17 SAR
4. Everything to do with time when using the HHR train
– The train station was a 15 minute drive from our hotel
– Plan to leave a bit earlier than us though
– Our train was at 2pm so the rush after Dhuhr salaah was a bit hectic
– The train ride is 2 hours and stops in Jeddah & KAEC (King Abdullah Economic City)
– Once we arrived in Madinah, it didn’t take us too long to get off the train and out the station, quite efficient
– We took 2 Ubers from the station to our hotel which costed us under SAR 100
Overall Experience:
– I would recommend using the HHR if you want to save time traveling to Madinah and if you’re a light packer with not too much luggage. It was fairly quick and efficient overall, from departure to arrival
– There is a food trolley that goes through the train to buy something to eat (there’s nothing exciting really) I’d recommend taking your own food for the train. When you enter at the Makkah station, there is a Subway, Dunkin Donuts and a supermarket if you need munchies
– However buy this before you check in as there’s nothing after this point (hence, go earlier if you have to get some food)
– Also, the train’s ACs are quite cold so make sure you’re warm on your journey.
– There wasn’t much of a difference between business and economy class on the train, just the seats in the business class carriage were leather and there were fewer seats.
About the author: Nabeelah Hajat is an ardent foodie, culinary creative, content creator and recipe developer from South Africa. If you would like to follow her journey or get in touch with Nabeelah click here to see her Instagram account.