The Director General for Operation and Maintenance in the Haramain High Speed Railway Eng. Rayyan Al-Harbi has announced that operation of railway trips to Makkah will resume on Wednesday, after completion of the "alternative railway route", Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said Monday. Al-Harbi said operation of the Haramain High Speed Railway to Makkah will restart after attaining all the required approvals. At the same time, he affirmed completion of all the engineering, technical, electricity wiring and power extension works, carrying out of all the necessary tests and verifying all the criteria to ensure safe operation. Al-Harbi added: "The Haramain High Speed Rail will resume its activity in serving passengers and Umrah pilgrims to and fro, between Makkah and Madinah, via King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) and Jeddah governorate through the train station at the New King Abdulaziz International Airport." Al-Harbi confirmed that as of Monday passengers can book their tickets to travel to the various stations available via the Haramain High Speed Railway website. He added that there are several options for the method for paying the ticket cost – either by credit cards or MADA Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card or via SADAD payment system. All these payment methods are available on the website. He pointed out that the ticket price differs depending on the destination and the passenger's choices, whether he chooses the hospitality or business class. The railway trip timings will vary, starting from 7:00 a.m. till 8.30 p.m., so as to meet passengers' needs, he said. — SPA
