Makkah to Madinah on the Haramain Train: Stations, Tickets and Tips

How to book tickets

1. Use the official channels. Book on the Haramain railway website through "Book a seat", or in the operator's official app on the App Store or Google Play.
2. Choose one-way or round trip, the stations, the date and the passengers.
3. Choose a train and class. Check the departure time and the journey time, as some trains are faster than others.
4. Enter each passenger's details exactly as on the passport.
5. Request special assistance at the end of booking if anyone needs a wheelchair or help boarding.
6. Pay and save the e-ticket. You can manage or change the booking online.

Travel guides also report tickets being sold at station counters and through some partner platforms. In busy weeks, do not count on buying at the station. Book as soon as your hotel dates are fixed.

Children, infants and travelers with disabilities

• Children aged 2 to 12 have their own seat and a child ticket.
• Infants under 2 travel without their own seat, on a parent's lap.
• Passengers with a disability are entitled to a reduced fare, according to the operator. Carry the documents that show it.
• Two wheelchair spaces per train, in the business coach. Book early if you need one, as two spaces do not go far in Ramadan.

Ask for assistance at the station on arrival as well. Staff can help with the lifts, platforms and boarding. Our guide to Umrah with elderly parents covers wheelchairs at the Haram itself.

Luggage

The operator limits how many bags each passenger can bring on board and publishes its baggage guidelines on its website. Check them for your ticket before you pack, because the allowance is smaller than an airline's.

• Pack for the train, not just the plane. A family arriving with two large suitcases each will struggle on the platform and in the luggage racks.
• Consider a car for heavy luggage. Some families send the big bags by private car between hotels and travel light on the train.
• Zamzam water. Check the operator's rules before carrying Zamzam containers on board, and buy the sealed containers for the flight home near the end of your trip.

Ihram and the train

The order of your trip decides whether you need ihram on the train.

• Madinah to Makkah, for Umrah. The miqat for travelers from Madinah is Dhul Hulayfah, known as Abyar Ali. The train passes it soon after leaving Madinah, so enter ihram at your hotel or at the mosque of Abyar Ali before going to the station, and make the intention before the train passes the miqat.
• Makkah to Madinah. No ihram is needed. Many travelers go to Madinah after completing Umrah.
• Jeddah Airport to Makkah. If you flew in from the United States intending Umrah, you entered ihram on the plane before landing, so you board the train already in ihram.

Follow the guidance of your own scholar on the details. The practical point is to wear ihram that is comfortable for a train ride, and to keep a spare set and safety pins in your hand luggage.

On the day of travel

• Arrive 30 to 45 minutes early. There is security screening at the entrance, and boarding closes shortly before departure.
• Have the e-ticket and passport ready. Staff check both.
• Bring water and a snack. Options on board can be limited, and on Ramadan afternoons you will want something ready for iftar if you are traveling at sunset.
• Plan prayer times. On a two-hour journey you may pass a prayer time. The stations have prayer areas.
• Book the onward taxi. At the arrival station, a pre-booked car saves time in the taxi queue.

Getting between the stations and your hotel

For most travelers, this short leg is where the day is won or lost.

• Arriving at Makkah station in ihram. If you are going straight to perform Umrah, take a car to the hotel first to leave the bags, then walk to the Haram. Most central hotels sit inside the area where traffic is controlled near prayer times, so the car may stop short of the door. Allow for a short walk with luggage, or ask the hotel about porters.
• Leaving Makkah. Leave the hotel at least an hour and a quarter before departure. Traffic around the Haram builds quickly after each prayer, and that alone can take 20 minutes.
• Arriving in Madinah. The roads from the station to the central area around the Prophet's Mosque are usually easier than in Makkah, but the last few hundred meters are busy at prayer times.
• Leaving Madinah for Umrah. If you are stopping at Abyar Ali to enter ihram, add 30 to 45 minutes for the stop before heading to the station.
• Taxis and ride apps. Taxis wait at every station, and ride-hailing apps work in both cities. A pre-booked car is the calmest option with older parents, children or a lot of luggage.

What to expect on board

The trains are modern, air-conditioned and quiet, and the ride is smooth enough to read or rest. A few things are worth knowing in advance:

• Seats are assigned. Your seat and coach number are on the ticket. Choose seats together when you book, rather than hoping to swap on board.
• Overhead racks and luggage areas hold carry-on bags and medium suitcases. Large cases go in the luggage areas at the end of each coach, which fill quickly on busy trains.
• Toilets are on board. Ask the crew if you need the accessible facilities.
• Listen for your station. Some trains stop at Jeddah and KAEC on the way, so check the station name before you get off.
• It can be cool inside. Bring a light layer, especially if you are in ihram.

Tips for families with children

• Book seats together at the time of booking, not at the station.
• Bring snacks, water and something to keep children busy for the two hours plus the transfers.
• Use the restroom before boarding with younger children, as the stations' facilities are more spacious.
• Keep passports in one bag with one adult, ready for each check.

Ramadan and peak weeks

The train is busiest in Ramadan, around Eid and in the weeks after Hajj. The operator adds extra trips in Ramadan, and in Ramadan 2026 it reported more than 3,600 trips. Even so, trains on the most popular days and times fill quickly.

• Book as early as tickets are on sale for travel in the last ten nights or the Eid days.
• Travel in the morning if you can. Afternoon trains close to iftar are popular, and the arrival taxi queue is longest just before Maghrib.
• Keep a plan B. If the train you want is full, a private car is the fallback. It takes longer, but it runs to your schedule.

Train, car or bus?

Sample itineraries using the train

• Madinah first, seven nights: fly into Madinah, three nights near the Prophet's Mosque, train to Makkah in ihram, four nights in Makkah, fly home from Jeddah.
• Makkah first, seven nights: fly into Jeddah in ihram, four nights in Makkah, train to Madinah, three nights in Madinah, fly home from Madinah.
• Stopover: land at Jeddah airport, take the train straight from the airport station, and finish in whichever city your onward flight leaves from. See Umrah on a Saudi stopover.

Flying into one city and out of the other, known as an open-jaw ticket, often costs no more than a round trip to one city, and it saves a long journey back.

How Fond Travels can help

• We plan the order of your trip, Madinah first or Makkah first, around your flights and your ihram.
• We book the train with your hotels, so the departure times fit your check-out and check-in.
• We arrange cars between the stations and your hotels, and between cities if the train is full or the luggage is heavy.
• We plan wheelchair support for older parents, on the train and at the mosques.
• We book open-jaw flights from your US airport into one city and home from the other.

See our Umrah packages from the USA, or call +1 (323) 800 6001. A travel expert answers any hour.