Buses will no longer be used for transporting pilgrims to and fro Makkah and Madinah when the Haramain Highspeed Railway commences operation by December next year, according to an official of the Haramain Railway project.
A Mecca Metro train passes over Muslim pilgrims’ heads towards Mina ahead of the hajj main ritual at Mount Arafat outside Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010. Muslims beginning the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia have a new way to avoid the crowds: an elevated light railway that will whisk them between holy sites. The first phase of the train project, called the Mecca Metro, will transport pilgrims between Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifa. The three stops on the pilgrims’ journey trace the steps of the Prophet Muhammad and Abraham. Officials hope the 11-mile (18-kilometer) train will alleviate crowding. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
The official said that a total of 35 trains will be used to transport two million pilgrims, in addition to millions of Umrah pilgrims.
“Works on the railway stations in Madinah and Rabigh have been completed and the works on stations in Makkah and Jeddah are nearing completion,” he said adding that trial run of train on Madinah–Rabigh sector is in progress.
