The Al-Masha'er Train, which will operate at full capacity during this year's Haj season, forms the golden link in the chain of development projects in the holy sites executed during the era of King Abdullah. The transportation system is one of a collection of projects that includes the Jamarat Bridge Project, development of Arafat holy site, Mina tent camps, construction of buildings on the foothills of mountains and new hospitals in the holy sites. Workers are putting the finishing touches on the Al-Masha'er Train, said Engineer Fahd Abu Tarboush, director general of the projects. Ongoing work includes building sidewalks, asphalting and completion of additional services in the train stations, he said. Work is proceeding according to schedule in the second stage of the effort and the Masha'er Train will function at full capacity during this year's Haj season, he said. It will transport 72,000 pilgrims per hour, which is considered to be the world's highest train capacity, he added. The Masha'er Train Project includes 17 trains, each with 12 coaches; each coach has five doors on each side, more than most trains worldwide, which have two or three doors per coach, Engineer Abu Tarboush said. Last year, the Masha'er Train Project operated at 35 percent of its capacity; a study of its efficiency in that time showed that it will provide a radical solution to transportation problems in the holy sites, he said. In the future, it will also connect with the Kingdomwide train network and those of neighboring countries, he said. The trains can carry large numbers of people in a relatively short time because of their advantage in the space required per passenger, compared to other means of transport, he added. The express train can transport between 60,000 and 80,000 people per hour per track while buses have a capacity for 10,000 per hour per line, Engineer Abu Tarboush said. The project has five train tracks from Mina to Arafat, Muzdalifa, and Mina, and in future to the Haram in Makkah, he said. Work on the Masha'er Train started in 2009 (1430H). __
