Faisal, Emir of Makkah Region, who will be briefed Wednesday on the outcome of the technical study to build a Makkah train network, is expected to sign a contract with Al-Balad Al-Ameen Company for Urban Development for a financial feasibility study. The government company, which will eventually award the project after issuing tenders, will conduct the financial feasibility study, according to the company's executive president, Ibrahim Al-Buloushi. Al-Buloushi expects that the project will be put to tender in the third quarter of this year. The study showed it is feasible to build a railway system to cover all parts of the city, said Dr. Osama Al-Bar, Mayor of Makkah. The network's four metro lines would cover a total of 180 kms in length and pass through 88 stations, he added. The new public transport network in Makkah would meet the requirement to link the two rail projects under execution on the outskirts of the city: Haramain Train railway, which stretches from Madina and Jeddah to Makkah station to the west, and the Holy Sites Train, which operates only in the holy sites with its last station at Al-Jamarat to the east. “Linking the two railways with the Grand Mosque has become necessary,” said Dr. Al-Bar. Anticipated growth in the city's population and the large number of visitors create a need to address transportation issues, he said According to the last census, Makkah's population has reached about 1.8 million; each year, the city receives about two million pilgrims and more than five million Umrah visitors, he noted.
