MAKKAH: All pilgrims will be allowed to use the “Al-Mashair Train” only on the day of “Al-Tarwiyah”, the day when pilgrims sacrifice animals, according to Dr. Sahal Al-Saban, Assistant Undersecretary for Haj Affairs at the Ministry of Haj. When pilgrims descend from Mount Arafat to Muzdalifa, the train will then only be used by targeted groups, including domestic pilgrims and those coming from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and traveling by land, according to a report in Al-Madina newspaper. He said the train is expected to significantly reduce the number of cars heading to the holy shrines. Only those with authorized Haj permits will be allowed to enter the stations and adjoining areas. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Haj has approved 25 new locations for Haj pilgrim firms that were forced to move to make way for the Holy Sites Train. The firms all serve domestic pilgrims. Al-Saban said that Holy Sites Train stations at domestic pilgrim Haj camps were ready. “The projects which pilgrims will be able to use in this year's Haj are the train and shuttle trips serving Turkish pilgrims and pilgrims coming from Europe, Australia, America and Asia,” he said. Al-Saban added that 750,000 pilgrims will be transported by the SR320 million shuttles, up from 500,000 in last year's Haj.
