RIYADH — The Transport and Communications Committee at the Shoura Council will discuss a number of important issues shortly including prospects of reducing Saudi Arabian Airlines fares and expanding the railway system linking Riyadh with Qurayyat with stations in Majmaa, Qassim and Hail. Maj. Gen. Nasser Al-Otaibi, chairman of the committee, said his panel holds continuous meetings to discuss various development issues that concern the nation and citizens. "Even if we are on vacation, we continue our meetings and discussions through the secretariat," he said. Speaking to Okaz/Saudi Gazette, he said the coming sessions of the committee would deal with major topics such as expansion of the railway, unification of the activities of Saudi Railway Organization, which has been brought under the Transport Ministry and ways to increase Saudi ports' revenue. Referring to Saudi Arabian Airlines, Al-Otaibi said the committee would discuss prospects of increasing capacity of its domestic and international flights as well as ways of improving the national flag carrier's performance in addition to reducing fares. New quays would be established at Saudi ports as part of efforts to increase their revenue by receiving more container ships, within the framework of Vision 2030. "The ports' infrastructure facilities should be expanded by constructing more quays to realize the vision's aims." Al-Otaibi spoke about efforts to develop the Riyadh-Dammam railway, which was constructed during the time of King Abdulaziz to promote trade and enhance passenger traffic. "We are planning to develop the railway system throughout the Kingdom coping with modern developments in the field," Al-Otaibi said. He said the new railway linking Riyadh and Qurayyat would be used not only for transporting minerals but also passengers. "The Haramain Railway that connects Makkah with Madinah would be operational shortly," he said, adding that it was designed as per the established world standards. He urged critiques to make positive criticism and make constructive proposals to accelerate the Kingdom's progress. "The committee has followed the Haramain Railway project, which will use the best trains and carriages. We have to praise these efforts." Al-Otaibi added: "It's true that some agencies were not working properly. But recently they have changed their attitude and improved performance. This is a welcome development."
