Haramain train late by one year

Disputes over property valuations and unfinished work by contractors have forced the government to delay the completion of the multibillion-riyal Haramain High Speed Railway Project by one year until the end of 2015, according to sources at the Ministry of Transport.
The sources said that the project is about 55 percent complete. Some of the challenges date back to the start of the project, when the first contractor did not complete overpasses and train tracks. Several property owners have also objected to the valuation of their appropriated property and have filed lawsuits at the Court of Grievances in Jeddah.
The delay is in line with the recent comments made by Wasmi Al-Farraj, director general of projects at the Saudi Railways Organization, on the sidelines of the transport exhibition in Riyadh recently. Al-Farraj had said the work on the Haramain train would be completed in December 2015.
Other challenges facing the project include changes and extensions made to the train lines on several occasions.
The project was 60 percent complete at Madinah and King Abdullah Economic City, but only 40 percent in Makkah and Jeddah.