JEDDAH, 24 May 2006 — The Kingdom is “very eager” to implement the Makkah-Madinah rail link project, Transport Minister and Saudi Railways Organization (SRO) Chairman Jabara Al-Seraisry said here yesterday.
“We’re as eager as the people to see that the project takes off, but we cannot have any timeframe about its execution and completion at this juncture as investment and various other modalities have to be finalized,” the minister told a press conference at Leylaty Hall. The project will have the participation of investors from both the public and private sectors.
Jeddah Governor Prince Mishaal, earlier opening a conference to mark the launch of the project, expressed the Kingdom’s support to this mega plan. He said the project would be a boon to pilgrims and visitors alike and offer a great opportunity for the participation of both the public and private sectors.
Al-Seraisry said in his address that the implementation of the rail link between the two holy cities with the participation of the private sector would be part of the Kingdom’s privatization move in railways and such other major sectors.
The Makkah-Madinah Rail Link is described as the largest project of its kind in the Middle East built on partnership between the two sectors. “The project is an unprecedented one from the points of view of transportation and economy,” the minister said, adding that it will be a major attraction for additional development projects.
The project is expected to achieve financial returns up to SR500 million by 2010 and SR750 million by 2030, he added.
The minister stated that the Kingdom had a long-term strategic outlook while implementing projects having a developmental and social impact. “The outlook goes beyond the consideration of direct material returns,” he said.
The minister emphasized that the Kingdom gave special importance to projects that served the guests of God visiting Makkah and Madinah. “The Kingdom leaves no stone unturned when undertaking gigantic projects that ensure the welfare and security of pilgrims,” he said and spoke about the benefits of the speed train project between Makkah and Madinah. “This project will serve a large number of passengers and, we believe, the operation of trains will reduce the traffic congestion caused by the presence of pilgrims in large numbers. A train load can take care of visitors in hundreds of cars.”
According to the minister, such speed trains between the two holy cities can compete with not only cars but also planes. The rail journey between Jeddah and Madinah will take two hours and between Makkah and Madinah a half hour more than that. “Aside from comfort and security, a train travel will always be a better choice,” he said.
The minister said that the rail connection to King Abdul Aziz International Airport would serve a lot of people including 1.5 million residents of Makkah and millions of Haj and Umrah pilgrims. “It will serve both residents and pilgrims. Moreover, the airport is just 90 km from Makkah,” he pointed out.
SRO President Khaled Alyahya said the project would link Jeddah with Makkah with a 78-km rail link, which would allow passengers to travel between the two cities within 30 minutes. Jeddah and Madinah will be connected by a single line, covering 410 km distance in a span of two and a half hours.
“There will be two stations in Jeddah, one at King Abdul Aziz International Airport and the other at the old airport with a possibility to link Jeddah and Riyadh together under the Landbridge project. Two additional stations will be built in Makkah and Madinah in addition to two other stations in Rabigh and Badr,” he said.
