A top official has assured the public that the Holy Sites train project is being run by internationally recognized companies at the lowest possible cost. Dr. Habib Bin Mustafa Zain Al-Abideen, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Supervisor of the Development of Projects at the Holy Sites, said the project was tendered internationally. He said the offers submitted to the committee at the ministry for the implementation of the project, ranged between SR12 to SR14 billion, but was later awarded to a Chinese company, the Chinese Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), at a reduced cost of SR5.5 billion after intense negotiations. The efforts of the former Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs Prince Mit'eb Bin Abdul Aziz had resulted in the approval of the project by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. He said on the basis of the existing cooperation between the Kingdom and China, Prince Mit'eb submitted the project to the Chinese government. Al-Abideen rejected rumors that the Holy Sites Train appears to be dilapidated and traditional. He said the Chinese company is specialized in carrying out train projects and has been nominated by the Chinese government. He said the Chinese company had initially offered SR9 billion for the implementation of the project but negotiations reduced the price to less than SR5.5 billion, which is the lowest bid offered by bidders. He said the ministerial committee chaired by Prince Mit'eb had approved the project. The committee included Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee; Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah and Chairman of the Central Haj Committee; and the ministers of finance, Haj and transportation. He said the contract of the project was signed during the visit of the Chinese President to the Kingdom. Al-Abideen said the major components of the train such as locomotives, brakes, signal system, remote control system, transmission system and electricity stations will be imported from specialist European, Canadian or American companies. He said the Chinese company has carried out thousands of kilometers of railway projects in China and different parts of the world including in the Middle East. The countries include India, Iran, UAE and the North-South Railway Line in the Kingdom. He said the Holy Site Train has been designed according to the latest international standards and specifications. He said the train will run without a driver, through electronic remote control. He said an international French company, Sistra, will design and supervise the entire project with the help of other international companies from Britain and Germany. Al-Abideen said the train project includes a crowd monitoring system and sensitive cameras connected to computers to count how many people get in and out at railway stations. He said the train's coaches are stored at the train store station in Arafat, which is guarded by the Chinese company. No unauthorized persons are allowed to enter the area.
