ref: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article61007.ece

MAKKAH: The first phase of the Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro (Makkah Metro) project is expected to be completed before this year�s Haj, the Saudi Railway Organization (SRO) said on Thursday.

SRO President Abdul Aziz Al-Hoqail said this will enable Haj pilgrims to use 35 percent of train service. The first phase will connect the holy sites of Arafat, Muzdalifah and Mina. This will reduce the traffic congestion, specially on the day of Arafat, to a large extent.

�While the entire project will be completed before the Haj season next year, the finishing of the first phase would mean that 35 percent of our services will be offered to the pilgrims this year itself,� Hoqail said.

This would mean that more than 50,000 cars and buses that carry pilgrims between Arafat, Muzdalifah and Mina would no longer be required.

Work on the project began two years ago in the southern parts of the holy sites where majority of pilgrims from Saudi Arabia as well as Gulf countries are traditionally accommodated.

Hoqail said that with the metro system in place, pilgrims will have to walk no more than 300 meters to reach any one of the three boarding stations in Arafat. Muzdalifah will also have three stations. The first station in Mina is close to Muzdalifah, the second in the center and the third close to the fourth floor of the Jamrat Bridge.

The rail is constructed parallel to the pedestrian road so that pilgrim tents in Mina are not disturbed.

Also called the Makkah Metro, the project was originally planned to be a monorail, but was changed to a conventional steel-wheel, steel-rail design running on a viaduct. The entire train system, including stations, will be elevated and pilgrims will have access to escalators and staircases to reach it.

A Chinese company has undertaken the construction of the railway lines and stations employing 5,000 workers who work round clock.

The rail network will initially link the holy sites to the Haramain Railway and other railway networks, and eventually to the Gulf Railway.

Each of the five lines of the project will have an hourly capacity to carry 60,000 to 80,000 passengers between Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah, and later between Mina and Makkah. All trains will have 12 large compartments, each of which will be 23 meters long and three meters wide.

An informed source said the railroad cars and trains� engines would shortly be shipped from China to the Jeddah Islamic Port.

Gulf News

Riyadh, September 27: Over 600 Chinese nationals working on the Haramain Rail project have embraced Islam in a recent ceremony in Makkah.

They are workers of the Chinese Railway Company, which won the multibillion contract for implementing the 450km rail road linking the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah via Jeddah and Rabigh.

Dr. Abdul Aziz Al Khudhairi, undersecretary at the Makkah Governorate, said that this year�s celebration of the Kingdom�s National Day coincides with a number of auspicious and historic occasions.

These included launching of the prestigious international research university � King Abdullah University for Science & Technology (KAUST), celebration of Eid Al Fitr and a recent ceremony of Chinese workers pronouncing their Shahada.

Dr. Abdul Aziz, who witnessed the event, described it as a �direct response to critics of the government for contracting Chinese company.�

Among the converts, there are 70 workers who are engaged in the construction of Makkah monorail project, which links the holy city with the holy sites of Mina, Muzdalifa and Arafat.

�Their conversion took place 24 hours after getting books introducing Islam in Chinese language at their worksite at Arafat, which is outside the Haram area,� he said adding that the credit goes to the Office of the Call and Guidance for Expatriates in Makkah.

Efforts are underway to spread the message of Islam among some 5,000 Chinese nationals working on the Haramain train,� he said adding that the major problem for the Call and Guidance Office is the lack of enough books on Islam in Chinese language.

It is noteworthy that the first phase of Haramain Rail consisting of 70km has well been started a few months ago. This represents expropriation of land, filling works, construction of bridges and tracks. The project is expected to be operational in 2012.-Agencies