Saudi Arabia: Haramain rail service sets record transport
41,000 take high-speed train journeys on Friday amid influx of faithful in Mecca, Medina
Cairo: The high-speed Haramain train service carried more than 41,000 passengers last Friday, the highest in a single day, a Saudi government official has said.
Minister of Transport and Logistics Services Saleh Al Jasser told Al Ekhbariya TV that a total of 120 journeys are scheduled for next Friday, the last in the current Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when a new record number of passengers on the train is expected.
Inaugurated in 2018, the Haramain train connects the Saudi cities of Mecca and Madina, home to Islam’s two holiest places, via the port city of Jeddah. The 450-km-long service aims to transport about 60 million passengers annually.
The service plans more than 2,700 journeys on the Haramain train providing 1.3 million seating to cope with the increasing demand for moving between Mecca and Medina during Ramadan, which is anticipated to end on April 9.
The lunar month traditionally marks the peak season of Umrah or minor pilgrimage at the Grand Mosque, Islam’s most sacred site, in Mecca.
After performing Umrah, many pilgrims would head to Medina to offer prayers at the Prophet’s Mosque, Islam’s second holiest place, and visit other landmarks in the city.
As part of efforts to ease congestion at the Grand Mosque in the final part of Ramadan, Saudi authorities have urged worshippers to avoid peak times, to use public transport instead of private cars, and shift to other mosques in Mecca to perform prayers.