PREMIER Composite Technologies (PCA), based in Dubai, UAE, has completed the installation of the concourse roof of one of the key stations on the Haramain Railway High Speed Railway in Saudi Arabia.

Under the contract for the Madinah station awarded in February 2012, PCT was response for all elements of design, engineering, manufacturing, delivery and installation of the advanced composite cladding for the concourse roof.

With a built-up area of 172,000 sq m, the Madinah station contains facilities and services for passengers designed in accordance with the best international standards of high-speed train stations. Designed by a joint venture (JV) of Foster+Partner and Buro Happold to resemble a series of umbrellas with green tiling, the concourse roof consists of a highly repetitive pattern that is made up of 41 panels that fit together to make one large square module measuring 27 by 27 m. Each panel is required to be structurally lightweight, fire resistant, immune to extreme temperatures and weather conditions, and easy to install.

Working alongside the JV partners, PCT developed an advanced composite solution that will meet all requirements.

The roof is structurally built using a fire-resistant composite of glassfibre and epoxy resin combined with lightweight foam core and is finished with glass mosaic coloured tiles. PCT produced 1,312 of these panels to complete the 26,400-sq-m surface area of the Madinah station roof.

The structure has been designed to use as much natural light as possible. Hence, the roof panels incorporate diamond-shaped skylights and are equipped with an anti-glare system to enhance the light distribution inside the station.

Installation started in October 2013. A modular approach to the design with a high degree of prefabrication meant that all fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) parts were produced at the PCT facilities in Dubai Investment Park. Installation and final sealing operations were done on site.

The 450-km Haramain Railway High Speed Railway project linking Makkah and Madinah via Jeddah and King Abdullah Economic City includes the construction of four passenger stations.