MAKKAH — A new Masher train has been added to the existing fleet increasing the total number to 17, Michel Khuwan, CEO of the Chinese operating company, said here, Tuesday. Each train consists of 12 compartments accommodating between 3,000 to 3,500 passengers. “Each train will transport 72,000 pilgrims per hour,” Khuwan said. The contract of the Chinese company, he said, has been extended by one year. “The company is only responsible for running the train. It has nothing to do with the organizational matters or the operational plans,” he said. The Chinese official said the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs will formulate this year's operational plan which will be discussed at a workshop comprising all parties concerned with Haj affairs. “Each station has been supplied with 300 cameras to air live pictures from the station to the main control room,” he said. Khuwan expects this year's operational plan to be ideal and said all mistakes of the previous year will be corrected this Haj season. Meanwhile, Amin Fatani, Director of the Haj Ministry's Makkah branch, who visited the main station on Tuesday, said a ministry representative will be present at the station to liaise with officials of other sectors. “There will be direct contact between the representative and Haj officials in charge of transport camps and grouping of pilgrims,” he said. He said the ministry is a major partner in the Masher Railway project and added that Haj services are an integrated process with the aim of providing topnotch services to the Guests of Allah. Meanwhile, Mohammed Al-Manshawi, Director of government relations in the Chinese company, announced that the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has completed all arrangements to formulate this year's operational plan. He said the Chinese company employs about 4,000 Saudis every year on a seasonal basis and added that the number of Saudi employees may increase this year depending on the plans of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs. “The safety measures of the train are very high. The train will automatically stop if any of its doors are not closed. It has two conductors — one in the front and the other in the rear. The driver in the rear will manually operate the train in case of any fault or emergency situation,” he said. Al-Manshawi said there are nine stations, each with a hall accommodating about 3,000 pilgrims and each has an electric escalator, elevators and staircases. A number of officials have, meanwhile, asked for organizing tourist trips via the train during this Umrah season to take the pilgrims from Makkah to the holy sites and back. “This will introduce the train to the pilgrims and help them become accustomed to traveling by it,” they said in a joint statement.
