MAKKAH — After hundreds of hours of train testing and simulation runs, Al-Mashaer Al-Muqaddassah Makkah Metro Southern Line (MMMSL) officially rolled out for this Haj season early Monday. The first of the 12-car trains left the depot in Arafat to commence operations at Arafat 1 station to head north toward Jamarat in Mina for normal metro operations of stopping at each of the nine stations, according to a press statement issued by Prasarana Malaysia Berhad (Prasarana), which was awarded a three-year contract for operations and maintenance of the train network. “For the first day, we will be using six trains under Movement A. Six will be sufficient as based on experience, the crowd heading for Arafat grows gradually,” said MMMSL Director of Operations Haji Muhammad Burhanordin Ismail. Providing connectivity between Arafat, Muzdalifah and Mina, some 370,000 pilgrims are expected to travel daily on the 18.1-km alignment, which effectively takes out no less than 53,000 buses from the service and effectively eases out traffic congestions. A system which operates with five different modes of movements in sync with Haj rituals, the first two days of operations on Dhul Hijjah 7 and 8 of Al-Mashaer Train will observe Movement A, which stops at Arafat 1, Arafat 2, Arafat 3, Muzdalifah 1, Muzdalifah 2, Muzdalifah 3, Mina 1, Mina 2 and Mina 3. “Movement A will run continuously for 34 hours until 7 p.m. of Dhul Hijjah 8 before we commence Movement B from 8 p.m. to 10 a.m. for the critical movement of pilgrims to Arafat. “Movement B will be a direct shuttle service with the trains taking pilgrims from the three stations in Mina to the 3 stations in Arafat,” said Burhanordin. Trains services will then stop for just over eight hours before commencing into operations at 6.18 p.m. for Movement C for another round of shuttle service from the three Arafat stations to the three Muzdalifah stations.
“Movement C will be the greatest challenge. After Standing at Arafat, everybody will be leaving Arafat to be in Muzdalifah. We will be putting 12 trains to cover Movement C, which will run for just over three hours and 42 minutes until 10 p.m.. Then Movement D will start from 11.30 p.m. until 8.30 a.m. on the following day to ferry pilgrims to Mina for their stoning ritual at Jamarat,” he added. Train services from Dhul Hijjah 10 to 13 will follow Movement E, which stops at selected stations at Mina 1 and 2, Muzdalifah 3, Arafat 3 and Mina 3. “We will officially close operations for this year at 6 p.m., on Dhul Hijjah 13,” Burhanordin said.
