Linking the holy cities of Saudi Arabia, the Haramain High Speed Railway is one of the largest transport infrastructure projects in the Middle East with the challenge of extreme heat and desert conditions, as well as building four new stations in just four years.

Designed by the joint venture team of Foster + Partners and Buro Happold, in collaboration with local architect, Dar Al-Handasah, this 450 km high speed rail link links Islam’s holiest cities Mecca and Medina to the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah, a key entry point for millions of pilgrims, and to King Abdullah Economic City.

“The GCP PREPRUFE® 300R and BITUTHENE® 8000 HC membranes had considerable benefits as the waterproofing solution for the station in Jeddah,” commented Hussein Ali Khodr, Project Manager at Rawabi Specialized Contracting. “The nature of the transport infrastructure project and the city stipulated the usage of proven state-of-the-art technology and as an applicator the simplicity and flexibility of installation lead to noticeable savings on engineering man hours.”

GCP’s patented ADVANCED BOND TECHNOLOGY™ enabled concrete to aggressively adhere to PREPRUFE®, forming a unique intimate seal that prevents water migration, substantially reducing the risk of leaks. It was applied on wet substrates and was immediately trafficable after installation, which mad for fast and easy installation by removing multiple layers and complicated detailing.

With PREPRUFE®, protective layers of concrete or boards were also eliminated, reducing the depth of excavation and spoil and minimizing the number of materials. This accelerated the critical path of the transport business project and ensured it remained on track.