MAKKAH: HANI HAZAIMEH
Published — Sunday 5 October 2014

Makkah’s state-of-the-art metro will have transported nearly one million pilgrims by the end of this Haj season, said a top official.

Just a couple of years ago, moving between Mina, Muzdalifa and Arafat took hours on end, but now, a trip between any of the three holy sites does not take more than 15 minutes thanks to the introduction of the Al-Mashaaer Al-Mugaddassah Metro Line at the end of 2011.

More than 360,000 pilgrims have been issued electronic tickets to use the line between Mina and Arafat, passing through Muzdalifah, according to Saud Al-Zikri, head of projects at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs. “The tickets can be used multiple times to travel back and forth between the holy sites,” Al-Zikri said.

The SR6.7 billion service, launched in 2009, can accommodate 72,000 pilgrims between its different platforms per hour. A total of 20 trains are operational this season, with each train comprising 12 carriages and accommodating 4,000 passengers, according to sources.

Pilgrims must buy tickets, worn as bar-coded bracelets that are read electronically as they enter the platforms.

The government has, for years, carried out development and construction projects to expand and improve services for Hajis.

Since it has been put into service, the train project eradicated the need for more than 12,000 buses, greatly reducing traffic congestion.

Yet one more challenge remains, which is facilitating movement back to Mina after pilgrims have completed their stoning rituals at the Jamrat area.

To address the challenge, the government announced in 2012 plans to complete building tracks to be linked with the Makkah Metro project.

The government announced plans to build this metro, officially known as the Makkah Mass Rail Transit, in 2012. According to the plans, work is expected to commence in 2016. The announcement said that the entire expansion project would take up to 10 years.

SOURCE: ARABNEWS.COM