New train to ease traffic congestion in Makkah

Muslims converging on the Holy City of Makkah for this year's pilgrimage will enjoy relatively calm streets for the first time as a newly-built train will replace thousands of vehicles that stifled the holy city during the rituals.

Dubbed the 'Holy Rituals Train', the project is part of a costly programme by Saudi Arabia to tackle massive traffic congestion and facilitate access to all sacred sites in Makkah, Islam's holiest shrine.

The train project, initiated three years ago, followed a series of incidents that have killed thousands of pilgrims in stampedes, building collapses and other accidents during the few days of the Haj season.

More than two million Muslims from Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries and other nations descend on Makkah every year to perform Haj, which is scheduled a few weeks before the end of this year.

Saudi newspapers reported this weekend that authorities have completed the SR6.7billion (Dh6.5bn) train project and the service will be introduced in this year's Haj season.

Holy Rituals, a massive yellow train striped with green, will transport the pilgrims from the outskirts of Makkah to the ritual sites through the Haj season and bring them out of the city at the end of the season, according to the newspapers.

"This train will transport the pilgrims into Holy Makkah and to all ritual sites inside the city... It will pass by places where the pilgrims usually gather but will avoid their tents," the Aljazira Arabic language daily said.

"It is a first-time service that is expected to save Makkah the entry of more than 50,000 cars. This means it will largely contribute to resolving the traffic congestion problem that had troubled the pilgrims and constituted a main cause of some accidents."

The project has three stages, the first of which has been completed. It will allow the train to operate at 35 per cent of capacity while work is under way to finish the remaining phases in the next two years.

An unidentified Chinese company is carrying out the project, which involved more than 5,000 workers, the paper said.

"It is part of ongoing efforts under the directives of His Majesty the Monarch to alleviate the suffering of the pilgrims and facilitate their holy mission. Several projects have been implemented in this respect and more would be carried out in the future," it said.

The government has spent more than SR20bn on development projects in Makkah over the past few years following an increase in accidents and criticism over lack of proper services for pilgrims.

The projects involved the construction of buildings on top of a surrounding hill, expansion of the area on top of the holy Mount Arafat, development of the sewage and fire-fighting systems, upgrading health and transportation services and a SR4.2bn expansion of the space and roads leading to where Muslims perform Ramy Aljamarat (stoning of the devil), the scene of some deadly accidents over the past few years.

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