Saudi Arabia has rolled out a special metro train service for this year's Haj season that will allow nearly 3,70,000 pilgrims to travel daily from Mecca to Arafat and help reduce traffic congestion.
This year's metro service was flagged off on Monday and will have the carrying capacity of 3,70,000 passengers daily, Al-Mashaer Al-Muqaddassah Makkah Metro Southern Line (MMMSL) Director of Operations Haji Muhammad Burhanuddin Ismail 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 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, over 3,70,000 pilgrims are expected to travel daily on the 18.1 km alignment. The train service is exclusive for Haj season. MMMSL was launched in November 2010. The train service is expected to effectively take out 53,000 buses from the service and ease traffic congestion. The train system will operate in five different modes of movements in sync with the Hajj rituals, with the stops increased or reduced in line with the rituals.
The train operations will be officially closed for this year on Sunday. Millions of pilgrims, including 1.5 lakh Indians, will travel to Arafat on Wednesday, marking the climax of Haj.
After offering prayers at Arafat, pilgrims will return to tent-city of Mina to perform the ritual of animal sacrifice.
