RIYADH: The Saudi Railways Organization (SRO) has revised its plans to open new stations in Jeddah, King Abdullah City and Madinah on commercial basis pending full operation of Haramain Railway project by the end of 2017, local media reported.
It is too early to decide whether the stations will operate commercially before the practical operation of the railway project is revised, as it will require maintenance and cleaning costs, a project official told Aleqtesadiah daily.
“Operating the stations will constitute a financial burden on the project management because the key customer, passengers, has not come yet,” he was quoted as saying.
Renting stores and restaurants at Madinah and Rabigh stations and opening them to the public before the train project is operational violates contracts signed with the Spanish consortium, he said.
He said the Spanish consortium will be fully responsible for operation and maintenance of the project over 12 years starting 2017.
He denied works on the project have slowed down, adding that all the project contracts would be completed by the end of 2017.
The railway project will see 35 passenger cars on two-way trips every half an hour between Makkah and Madinah, he said.
Journeys between cities will take different times, as follows: Makkah-Jeddah 21 minutes, Jeddah-King Abdulaziz Airport 14 minutes, King Abdulaziz Airport-Rabigh 36 minutes, Rabigh-Madinah 61 minutes.
Haramain train stations to open by end 2017
Haramain train stations to open by end 2017
Saudi Arabia pays Yemeni government $346.6m to meet salary shortfall
- The payment is part of the Kingdom’s ongoing work to promote stability and development for the Yemenis
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has provided $346.6 million (1.3 blln SAR) to help pay Yemeni government employees the massive shortfall in their salaries.
The payment, under a ruling by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, was delivered through the Saudi Program for Development and Reconstruction of Yemen (SDRPY).
The payment is part of the Kingdom’s ongoing work to promote stability and development for the Yemenis, the SDRPY said in a statement released on its X.com account.
The statement added that the initiative aimed to strengthen economic, financial and monetary stability in Yemen, enhance the capacity of government institutions, improve governance and transparency, and enable the private sector to drive sustainable economic growth.
Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad Al-Alimi thanked the Saudi royals for the support, describing it as an extension of the Kingdom’s longstanding support for the Yemeni people.
And Al-Alimi said the support sent a message of confidence in Yemen’s path of recovery as well as the in the government’s ability to strengthen national institutions and reinforce security and stability.
Adding that Yemen’s ongoing partnership with Saudi Arabia represented an important choice for a more stable future.
And he called for a unified effort to support the reconstruction of the country’s instituions, as well as improve living conditions and advance economic and social development.
