Saudi Arabia opens high-speed railway from Makkah to Medina

Saudi passengers are seen in the platform at Makkah’s train station on October 11, 2018 as the new high-speed railway line linking Makkah and Medina opens. The Haramain High Speed Rail system will transport Muslim pilgrims, as well as regular travellers, 450 kilometres (280 miles) between the two cities via the Red Sea port of Jeddah in two hours. Thirty-five passenger trains capable of travelling at speeds of 300 kilometres per hour will slash the travel time from several hours to 120 minutes, transport officials said. The rail project, dogged by several delays, was built at a cost of more than $16 billion, according to Saudi media.

[source_without_link]BANDAR ALDANDANI / AFP[/source_without_link]