FIRSTLY, hearty congratulations to King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, citizens and expats in Saudi Arabia on the launch of the Kingdom’s first high-speed train.

Being born and brought up in Saudi Arabia, we hardly ever had a train ride in our lives. The inauguration of the Haramain Railway this month was very exciting.

After a lot of hustle-bustle due to pre-booking by passengers, my husband finally managed to book two business class tickets to Makkah.

We were expecting a casual railway station and a pleasant train ride. To our surprise, from the moment we stepped through the gates of the station, the vibes were fascinating. The infrastructure was lit. The station was ginormous. Songs were being played; men in fancy costumes entertained people and tea, ice cream and Arabic coffee were served. It was just fascinating. They also snapped our picture and handed us the same. Everything was well-planned and organized. Volunteers guided us to the spotless platform.

Finally, the much-awaited moment had come. The train made its way to the station. The train was just gorgeous with the most comfortable seats, a lovely business cafeteria, LCD screens for entertainment and digital destination boards.

The train gracefully glided through the city and within 30 minutes we reached the Makkah train station which was even more electrifying. Balloons, ice cream, etc. were distributed. Islamic music filled the air.

The stunning bus facility from the station to the Grand Mosque at the economic rate of SR 3 per person was the jewel in the crown.

All in all, our first train experience to Makkah was an unforgettable one. We are looking forward to another train ride to Madinah soon. Once again, congratulations on this huge project and great public facility.

Tahzeeb Ilyas,

Jeddah