The high-speed railway line linking the Muslim cities of Mecca and Medina was inaugurated on September 25th. Twelve Spanish companies have participated in the construction of this new railway line, and Adif and Renfe will be in charge of its maintenance, operation and exploitation for a period of 12 years.

The 35 trains which are part of the railway line have been designed by Talgo and incorporate HVAC equipment in which electric batteries designed and manufactured by Electricfor have been integrated.

Batteries with electric heating elements for HVAC equipment

These batteries have a stainless steel or aluminium frame - depending on the characteristics of the project where they are to be installed - and incorporate shielded electric heating elements which are inserted into ducts or which can be integrated into static heating or air-conditioning equipment.

With a customised design and construction, these batteries also include an integrated temperature protection system and insulated connections.

The presence of this type of batteries is supplemented by other reinforcement systems installed in the trains, which incorporate more than thirty additional technologies with the aim of resisting the extreme conditions usually found in the Saudi Arabian desert, i.e. sand, suspended dust, high temperatures (hence the importance of air conditioning equipment) and storms, along a 450-kilometre route.

After its inauguration, ticket sales will begin in the forthcoming weeks, and it is expected to reach 60 million passengers per year for a journey that is reduced to less than two hours, compared with the current traditional road journey.