Jeddah, June 18: Seven languages will be used on all signs on the Holy Sites Train and on those inside and outside the nine stations in Arafat, Mina and Muzdalifa to guide pilgrims to the train stations, according to Dr Habeeb Zain Al-Abdeen, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and supervisor of the Holy Sites Train development project.
He said that signs in Arabic, English, Urdu, French, Turkish, Persian and Indonesian will guide pilgrims to the railway stations and give them instructions on commuting on the train.
He however, added that Arabic and English are the only official languages for the operation of the train system.
Prince Mansour bin Miteb, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, said during an inspection tour of the Holy Sites on Tuesday that a special committee supervising the railway project chose the green colour for the exterior and interior of the train carriages because they felt that it was symbolic of the Kingdom.
Responding to criticism of the design of the train carriages, voiced in some quarters, the Prince said, “The committee based their choice of design on the quality of the most modern trains in the world. However, we respect what has been mentioned in the media regarding the look and style of the train.”
The China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) is constructing the railway and according to Fahd Abo Tarboosh, the executive director responsible for transportation to the Jamarat Bridge. The general directory of the central administration for the development of projects in the Holy Sites will supervise CRCC, which will operate and maintain the project for three years. “After three years the Chinese company will train a Saudi workforce to operate, maintain and supervise the railway so that it will be 100 per cent Saudi in the future,” he said.
–Agencies