ABSTRACT
The Ministry of Rural and Agricultural Affairs in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, called for design, build and operate tenders from international consortia to procure and deliver a rail transit system for the Hajj to relieve road congestion and facilitate ease of movement for pilgrims. The Saudi contractor Al-Harbi Group and Bovis Lend Lease invited Singapore-based architectural practice, GreenhilLi to be part of the tender team. To demonstrate the team’s understanding of the challenging tender brief, GreenhilLi proposed a design for one of the station types.
The client had already engaged a consultant pre-tender to study the immense volume of pilgrims passing through the sacred sites annually and the corresponding potential passenger demand on the system. The required system capacity would need trains over 300m long and corresponding platform lengths. It was clear that a conventional metrostyle station circulation with a fare collection system, unpaid/paid areas and escalator/stair circulation means would not work in this context as it would impede circulation too much. It was also clear that boarding and alighting passenger flows needed to be separated to maintain crowd control and organize circulation. Further requirements for maintaining the existing road network to the sacred sites as well as minimizing impact on the terrain meant that the metro system had to be elevated directly above the road. The main challenge of the brief was the safe and efficient circulation of passengers at each destination.
