Makkah: Saudi Arabia has rolled out a special metro train service for this year’s Haj season that will allow nearly 370,000 pilgrims to travel daily from Makkah to Arafat and help reduce traffic congestion.
This year’s metro service was flagged off on Monday and will be able to carry 370,000 passengers daily, Al Mashaer Al Muqaddassah Makkah Metro Southern Line (MMMSL) Director of Operations Haji Mohammad Burhanuddin Esmail said.
The train will commence operations between the Arafat 1 station and will head north toward Jamarat in Mina, stopping at the nine stations along the way, said the Prasarana Malaysia Berhad (Prasarana) company, which was awarded a three-year contract for operations and maintenance of the train network.
Providing connectivity between Arafat, Muzdalifah and Mina, more than 370,000 pilgrims are expected to travel daily on the 18.1km alignment. The train service is exclusive for the Haj season.
MMMSL was launched in November 2010.
The train service is expected to effectively take out 53,000 buses being used by pilgrims and ease traffic congestions.
The train system will operate in five different modes of movements in sync with the Haj rituals.
The train operations will be close for this year on Sunday.
Millions of pilgrims will travel to Arafat on Wednesday, marking the climax of Haj.
After offering prayers at Arafat, pilgrims will return to the tent-city of Mina to perform the ritual of animal sacrifice.
