The minister signed an agreement for the construction of the four stations in Riyadh last week with Minister of Finance Ibrahim bin Abdul Aziz Al-Assaf, who is the chairman of the board of directors of the General Investments Fund.

"The signing of these agreements represents the second part of the first phase of the Haramain Express Train project. The amount of money will be used to build passenger stations in central Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah and Rabigh which will serve King Abdullah Economic City," he said.

According to the minister, the first contract worth SR3.178 billion will be used for the construction of the Makkah station, the second at SR1.557 billion for Madinah station, the third at SR2.9 billion for Jeddah station and the fourth to the tune of SR1.75 billion for the construction of Rabigh station.

Al-Seraisry said the stations will be constructed according to the highest international engineering standards and added that they will be in harmony with the architectural features of the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah and also reflect the historical and cultural heritage of Jeddah and Rabigh.

The minister pointed out that the designs also took into consideration aesthetic exterior beauty and internal comfort. "The stations will be a landmark  of beauty for each town and will ensure the comfort of passengers," he said.

Al-Seraisry revealed that each station will consist of a main building, arrival and departure lounges, a mosque accommodating more than 600 worshipers, a Civil Defense center, a helicopter landing airfield, 10 platforms, car parks, VIP halls, shops and restaurants. He said the stations were also linked by paths for pedestrians coming via subway.

The first phase of the project, which consisted of building the tracks and the bridges, will cost SR6.785 billion.