ABHA, 28 August 2005 — Citizens of the southern Asir region have expressed their disappointment that the government had not included the region in its proposed railway project that will link the Makkah region with the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, passing by the Central region.
Many citizens, heads of government departments and members of municipality councils have written letters to Asir Governor Prince Khaled Al-Faisal requesting him to bring the matter up with the Ministry of Transport.
The chairman of the Abha Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Abdullah Al-Mubti, said that Asir was developing economic and tourism investments. The construction of a railway system in the region would increase the efficiency of business, industry and the national economy, he said.
Abha, Al-Mubti said, according to the latest statistics provided by the chambers, ranked first in the Kingdom for producing poultry — 44.3 million chickens a year — which represents 4-10 percent of the Kingdom’s production. Abha alone had 94 licensed poultry farms.
A recent survey showed that every riyal spent by a tourist in Asir generates 85 halalas for sales in tourist-related industries in the region and 13 halalas as part of the wages given to employees in the industry.
He also said that there were 83 factories in the region where 13,000 Saudi and non-Saudis work.
Building a railway system in Asir would help domestic tourism and deter Saudis from traveling abroad, Al-Mubti added, noting that most Saudis preferred not to visit Saudi tourist centers due to the great difficulty they find in getting there.
Prince Khaled sent a letter to Minister of Transport Dr. Jabara Al-Seraisry describing the problems facing the region from the weight of traffic, particularly in the road that links Abha with Khamis Mushayt. He also said the region would benefit from a future railway system that would help tourism flourish in the region.
Planned mining industry projects in the region would also benefit from a railway system, the governor said. The prince said that other countries have reaped security and economic benefits from railway lines.
Last year the Ministry of Transport said that it was about to finalize the proposed draft for the railway expansion after it was approved by the Supreme Economic Council. However, the railway link will not cover the southern region of Asir, the Kingdom’s most avid tourist destination.
Muhammad Al-Humaid, head of the Abha Literary Club and a member of the municipality council, said that the reasons for constructing a railway project in Asir were just as important as anywhere else in the Kingdom. He said the region was populous and backed gigantic economic projects in the mining industry, in addition to tourism.
“These reasons should be more than enough to convince the Ministry of Transport to include the region in its proposed railway project,” Al-Humaid said.
“If the justifications given by the ministry for not including Asir in the proposed railway project are its budget limitations, then it should know that it has the support of King Abdullah. If its justifications are the mountainous landscape of the region, then how have other countries managed to build railway projects in more challenging areas?” he said.
Abdullah ibn Aftan, another member of the municipal council, said Asir was among the regions in the Kingdom most in need of such a project.
He said the region had potential future investment opportunities. He also mentioned the vulnerability of the air links that connect Abha with the rest of the cities in the Kingdom throughout the year is one essential factor that demands attention.
Abdulwahab ibn Mujthal, a businessman, said that Asir was a crossing point between Yemen and Saudi Arabia. He also said its strategic location made it a favorite tourist destination for thousands of Saudis and that the construction of a railway project in the region would solve the transport problems of going and coming to Asir by car.
“The Ministry of Transport has not included Asir in this project for reasons which are unclear,” he said.
