MAKKAH: The Saudi Public Transport Authority (PTA) confirmed that it has not yet set ticket prices for the trains operating between Makkah and Madinah, but said it is in the process of addressing the matter.
The PTA stressed that the prices are going to be suitable for everyone and will reflect the services provided.
The spokesman of the PTA, Abdullah Sail, told Arab News that the PTA is going to continue its pilot service trips of the Haramain high-speed train in the next few months. Some passengers will be invited to try the train experience and the services provided on it during weekends and some special trips. Sail said: “These trips are planned to increase gradually until we reach full commercial operation.”
The Haramain train will start its operations with two pilot trips next week between Makkah and Madinah with a full load of passengers. However, commercial operations are expected to start by mid-2018, after the completion of the Jeddah and King Abdul Aziz airport stations.
Umrah visitors, who are expected to reach about 15 million by 2020, are impatiently waiting for the full operation of the Haramain train, which will cross the distance between the two holy cities in two hours instead of six hours by bus.
No ticket prices set yet for high-speed Haramain train
No ticket prices set yet for high-speed Haramain train
Saudi Arabia delivers sacrificial meat to Egypt, Palestine
The Saudi Embassy in Cairo hosted a formal handover ceremony as the Kingdom delivered sacrificial meat shares to Egypt and Palestine under its Project for Utilization of Hady and Adahi (livestock sacrifice), managed by the Royal Commission for Makkah City and the Holy Sites.
Deputy Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Khalid bin Hammad Al-Shammari presided over the transfer, presenting Egypt's allocation to Major General Mohamed Reda and Palestine's share to Palestine Ambassador to Cairo Diab Al-Louh in the presence of Saad bin Abdulrahman Al-Wabel, the project's General Supervisor.
The shares of 30,000 sacrificial animals were handed over to the Arab Republic of Egypt and an equal number to the State of Palestine.
Al-Shammari highlighted that the program, operational since 1983, "constitutes an integrated regulatory framework for administering the Hady and Adahi religious practice, guaranteeing procedural integrity, equitable distribution, and lasting impact." The initiative channels sacrificial meat domestically and internationally to deserving Muslim recipients across numerous nations.
Al-Wabel emphasized the Kingdom's dedication to "facilitating efficient utilization and distribution of sacrificial meat, ensuring it reaches beneficiaries in roughly 26 Islamic countries."
Ambassador Al-Louh conveyed Palestine's deep appreciation to Saudi Arabia's leadership for their consistent annual support of the Palestinian people through this program.
Egypt's representative similarly thanked the Saudi leadership for their ongoing contributions to Arab and Islamic nations, invoking divine blessings for the Kingdom's continued stability and advancement.
