Cairo: Saudi Arabia’s high-speed Haramain train service has carried around 48,000 passengers, the highest in a single day since its launch in 2018, the Saudi news agency SPA has reported.
The number of passengers, who boarded the train on the 15th of the current month of Ramadan, reached about 48,000.
Since the lunar month began on March 1, the average daily passenger number surpassed the 39,000 mark, reflecting the high demand for the service as the fastest means of transport to Mecca, home to Islam’s holiest mosque, SPA added.
The number of the train journeys has been gradually increased since the beginning of Ramadan, reaching 130 per day during the last 10 days of the month, noted for devout worshipping.
The lunar month traditionally marks the peak season of the Umrah or minor pilgrimage in the Grand Mosque, Islam’s most sacred site, in Mecca.
After performing Umrah, many pilgrims would head to Medina to perform prayers in the Prophet’s Mosque, Islam’s second holiest, and visit other landmarks in the city.
To cope with the surge in the passenger traffic, Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) has adjusted train schedules to handle peak times for pilgrims, worshippers, and visitors. It has also provided additional lounges at the Medina station.
The operator had earlier announced its operational plan for the Ramadan season, which includes providing 1.6 million seats through more than 3,400 journeys on the Haramain trains.
Inaugurated in 2018, the Haramain rail service connects Mecca and Madina via the port city of Jeddah and the King Abdulaziz International Airport. The 453-km-long service, which provides fast, efficient, and congestion-free travel, aims to transport about 60 million passengers annually.
