On 26 October 2011, phase 2 of the tender was awarded to the Al Shoula consortium, made up of 12 Spanish companies (Renfe, Adif, Talgo, Copasa, OHLA, Cobra, Siemens Rail Automation, Indra, Imathia, Ineco, Abengoa Inabensa and Consultrans), with two Saudi companies (Al Shoula Group and the construction company Al Rosan Contracting) as the local partners.
Phase 2 included the construction of the superstructure and the associated systems, as well as the design and acquisition of rolling stock, the commercial operation and the maintenance of the integrated railway system for a 12-year period.
On 14 January 2012 the contract for phase 2 of the Haramain High Speed Rail Project was signed at an official ceremony in Saudi Arabia. The Mecca-Medina high-speed line started commercial services on October 11, 2018.
