Delays in Haramain high-speed rail project connecting Mecca and Medina worries Saudi Arabia

#SaudiArabia #Mecca #Medina #Haramain #Hajj Saudi Arabia has given a "final warning" to the contractors to avoid delays on an $8.2 billion high-speed rail project which Spanish and Saudi firms are helping to build in order to connect the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
This project known as the Haramain High Speed Rail system is meant to transport Muslim pilgrims, apart from regular travelers, a distance of 450 kilometers between the holy cities of Mecca and Medina via the Red Sea port of Jeddah.
The deal had been signed by Saudi Arabia three years ago for a Spanish consortium to build the rail track, supply 35 high-speed trains and handle a 12-year maintenance contract. Other works wet to the Saudi Bin Laden Consortium and Saudi Oger Joint Venture for constructing four stations, while Al-Rajhi Alliance in 2009 won the bid to construct bridges, culverts and similar work.
However, in the course of a two-day inspection tour last week, the kingdom's new Transport Minister Abdullah bin Abdulrahman al-Muqbel felt that work was not progressing as per schedule.
After visiting the Mecca station and bridges along the route, the minister has reportedly asked the contractor to put up an urgent plan within next two months to avoid delays. It necessary, they should explore possibilities of increasing the workforce and supplies.
The minister also threatened that this be considered a final warning either to commit and improve performance or face the consequences. The annual hajj, is to be held in September next year, and it attracts about two million Muslim pilgrims to the Mecca region. The intention of the minister could be to ensure completion of the rail system before the Hajj begins.