Saudi Arabia: Hajj rail service resumes after 2-year halt

Dubai: A high-speed train service will resume for transporting pilgrims during next week’s Hajj rituals in Saudi Arabia after a two-year halt, Saudi media reported.

The Haramain train service will ply between the Saudi cities of Jeddah, Mecca and Medina via the King Abdullah Economic City to carry pilgrims, Saudi television Al Ekhbariya said.

Saudi Transport Minister Saleh Al Jaser said that central Jeddah station is prepared to reoperate for the train service.

He tweeted that efforts are made to offer a “better transport service” to passengers and

pilgrims. In September 2019, a fire broke out at the Al Sulaymaniyah train station in Jeddah.

Around 60,000 pilgrims from inside Saudi Arabia have been picked to perform this year’s

Hajj that commences on Sunday amid stringent precautions against COVID-19.

The 450km-long service was inaugurated in 2018. The Mecca-Medina journey on Al Haramain train takes two hours.

The service aims to transport about 60 million passengers annually.