MAKKAH — Al-Mashaaer Metro Line at the Holy Sites is one of the most notable projects implemented by Saudi Arabia during the past 15 years to serve pilgrims. The project has won the Franz Edelman Award for the best applied and operational research.

The International Federation of Engineering Consultants has placed the project among the top 24 worldwide projects executed during the last century.

The high-speed electric train, launched in November 2010, is designed to serve pilgrims during the Hajj season every year, transporting them between the Holy Sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah.

The 18-kilometer railway has nine stations, three in each of Arafat, Muzdalifah and Mina, with the last station located near the Jamarat Bridge. The train moves at a speed of 80 km per hour, and runs between Mina and Arafat in about 20 minutes.

There are 17 trains serving the Holy Sites, with a capacity of 3,000 passengers per train. The seating capacity is 20% of the total number of passengers making the total capacity up to 72,000 passengers per hour.

During the Hajj season of 1440 AH, the train transported 2.3 million passengers on 2,170 trips.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021, the railway stopped its services, but it was operational again in 2022, transporting 1.35 million passengers on 2,228 trips. — SPA