UAE pilgrims will not benefit from Haj train

The transportation service will only carry worshippers between Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifa

Riyadh: A Saudi official at the Central Haj Committee (CHC) has disclosed that pilgrims from the UAE, Qatar and Oman will not benefit from the train services to be launched for the first time during the coming Haj season.

The new service will carry pilgrims between Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifa only.

The chairman of the Haj and Umrah Committee at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Saad Al Qurashi, said that this year the train will only serve domestic pilgrims, in addition to pilgrims from Kuwait and Bahrain.

In statements released yesterday, Al Qurashi explained that domestic pilgrims and those from Kuwait and Bahrain were selected for the train service, only because the train track happens to pass through them.

Metro

Meanwhile, all preparations have been completed for the first phase of the holy sites metro.

More than 100 officials from Haj establishments in Saudi Arabia and other GCC states were briefed on the operation plan and the train stations. They were instructed how to arrive at the camps in Mina and Jamarat Bridge.

The train's operation committee urged all Haj establishments to follow instructions and hire qualified staff.

By Abdul Nabi Shaheen, Gi;f news Correspondent, November 5, 2010