ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will provide Hajj pilgrims high-speed train service between the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah this year, the country’s religion ministry said on Sunday, as Islamabad’s preparations for Hajj 2026 enter their final phase.

The Haramain High-Speed Railway connects Makkah and Madinah via Jeddah and King Abdullah Economic City along a 453-kilometer railway line and operates some of the world’s fastest passenger trains, with speeds of up to 300 kilometers an hour.

This year 179,210 pilgrims from Pakistan will perform Hajj, according to the religious affairs ministry. Of these, 119,210 pilgrims will travel under the government scheme, while 60,000 will go through private tour operators, with applications processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

“This year the Haramain High-Speed Railway will be offered for the first time to several thousand Pakistani pilgrims on trial basis,” Muhammad Umar Butt, a Pakistani religious affairs ministry spokesman, told Arab News.

“The exact number will be released later.”

The pilot project will also include travel from hotel to train stations and luggage service, according to the official. Pakistani pilgrims are usually provided buses to commute between the two holy cities, which takes six to eight hours. The train service will reduce this duration to less than 2 and half hours.

Butt said Pakistan’s preparations for the annual pilgrimage were in final stages and the first Hajj flight will leave for the Kingdom in the mid of April.

He urged pilgrims to join the second phase of mandatory trainings which will begin after Eid Al-Fitr.

Pakistan sends one of the world’s largest Hajj contingents each year, requiring months of logistical coordination between Islamabad and Saudi authorities to manage housing in Makkah and Madinah, transport to holy sites and training in religious rites.

Authorities say these trainings are essential because many Pakistani pilgrims travel abroad for the first time and must learn both rituals and administrative procedures before departure.

“A total of 183 training workshops have been conducted [so far] in 107 cities to educate pilgrims about Hajj rituals and administrative matters,” Religious Affairs Secretary Dr. Sajid Mahmood Chauhan said last week, after a meeting to review accommodation, transport, vaccinations and travel documentation for Hajj pilgrims.

Officials said preparations for accommodation and transport in Mina and Arafat as well as food services had entered the final phase, while vaccination, air tickets and visa issuance for Hajj pilgrims would begin soon.

“Makkah and Madinah accommodation has been secured better than last year,” Hajj Director-General Abdul Wahab Soomro told the meeting.