Monorail planned for Haj pilgrims

MONORAIL PROPOSED: Haj pilgrims traveling between Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifa may be able to take advantage of a proposed monorail project by 2010. (Getty Images)

Haj pilgrims traveling between Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifa may be able to take advantage of a proposed monorail project by 2010, Saudi daily Arab News reported on Sunday.

Habib Zainul Abideen, undersecretary for development projects at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, said the winning company for the construction contract would be announced before September.

Nine international companies have been invited to bid for the $1.3 billion project, the newspaper said.

Zainul Abideen said work would start before Haj this year to ensure the project’s completion in 18 months.

He said that a French consultancy is finalizing details and designs of the project, which will be duly provided to the bidding companies. The train would run at heights of between eight to ten metres in order not to obstruct the movement of vehicles and pedestrians on the ground.

Residents of Makkah will be able to use the monorail to perform the stoning ritual in Mina, he added.

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