JEDDAH: Compensation will be paid to all citizens whose properties have been expropriated to make way for the multibillion riyal Al-Haramain Train Project, said Dr. Jabarah Bin Eid Al-Suraisiry, the Minister of Transport. He said the payment will only take place once owners complete all the necessary procedures. The minister made this comment during a tour Sunday of various Al-Haramain Train Project sites. At a press conference, in reply to questions from Okaz/Saudi Gazette, the minister said the compensation would be paid to those property owners who have been identified. There are still some property owners who have not been identified, he added. He called on Saudi nationals affected by the construction to visit the Roads Administration and complete procedures for expropriation and payment. Al-Suraisiry confirmed that Al-Hujjaj (Pilgrims) Bridge intersection would be inaugurated next month and the whole project completed in March 2011. This will take place after carrying out the necessary changes required for the route of the Al-Haramain Train. “The Al-Haramain Project works being executed at present in Makkah, Jeddah and Rabigh are the most difficult and most important part of the project, because they are located in regions with differing geography, environment, climate and topography.” He added that there are further problem areas that need to be overcome in clearing the route for the train, including private properties, and electricity, water, telephone and oil pipelines. Asked about the date for launching the Jeddah-Braiman-Makkah Road, Al-Suraisiry said, “As for the ring road project in Jeddah, 15 kilometers of the project was approved earlier and work is taking place now at another part. Also, Phase One of the Braiman-Makkah Road project will be operational during the next Haj season, with the final stage completed 30 months from now.” For his part, Mansour Al-Maiman, Secretary General of the Saudi General Investments Fund (GIF), said work on the Al-Haramain Train Project is taking place according to schedule. The financial allocations and payments are being done without delay and according to the progress of the work. The project is being given high priority, he said. He said there has been a 20 percent increase in investments in the petrochemicals, oil and transport sectors. The capital in the GIF now stands at a total of SR190 billion. Meanwhile, Engineer Abdul Aziz Al-Huqail, President of the Saudi Railways Organization (SRO), said the work taking place now is part of Phase One of the project. They include civil works like leveling and filling the railway route, excavations, cutting into rock, landfills and construction of bridges. A number of work teams are at various sites. These teams have specified and drawn the railway line, launched redesign operations, constructed bridges on the Al-Haramain Road and made all the needed regulatory arrangements. Al-Huqail said the technical design for the route includes 153 bridges and 645 culverts of various sizes. He pointed out that the SRO is continuing its coordination with the regions' emirates, governorates, mayoralties and traffic departments that would be served by the project. In addition, the SRO also coordinates its work with other service organizations and corporations like the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC), Saudi Aramco and the Saudi Electricity Company. He confirmed that the project is being carried out according to the highest standards and specifications and all its phases are being reviewed meticulously by the consultant supervising the project. The tour of the Minister of Transport covered the Al-Haramain Train Project route in Makkah, Jeddah and Rabigh. During the tour he was accompanied by Al-Huqail; Al-Maiman; Engineer Abdullah Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Muqbil, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport for Roads Affairs; Engineer Mfarrih Al-Zahrani, Director General of the General Administration for Roads and Transport in Makkah Region, and a number of other officials.
