Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro line

Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro line
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Overview
Native nameقطار المشاعر المقدسة الخط الجنوبي
OwnerMakkah Mass Rail Transit Company (MMRTC)
LocaleEastern Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Transit typeRapid transit
Number of lines1
Number of stations9
Operation
Began operation13 November 2010[1]
Operator(s)China Railway Construction Corporation Limited
CharacterElevated
Rolling stockCRRC Changchun Type 12A EMUs
Number of vehicles204 carriages, 17 twelve-car sets[2]
Train length276.8 metres (908 ft 2 in)[2]
Headway150 seconds peak
Technical
System length18.1 km (11.2 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification1,500 V DC
Overhead catenary

The Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro Line (English: The Sacred Sites Train Line, Arabic: قطار المشاعر المقدسة, romanizedqtar al mashaaer al muqaddassah), is a metro line in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Claimed to have the highest capacity of any metro in the world, it operates for seven days a year, and is used exclusively as a shuttle train for pilgrims between holy sites in Mecca, Mount Arafat, Muzdalifah and Mina to reduce congestion caused by thousands of buses and cars during the Hajj. It is the second metro system on the Arabian Peninsula, after the Dubai Metro (although, with its limited open hours, some consider it more of a shuttle train service).[citation needed]

The line opened on 13 November 2010,[1] in time for the Hajj 1431 between 25–29 November 2010.[2] It was built separately from, and will not be physically linked to, the future Mecca Metro network.

  1. ^ a b "Hajj pilgrims take the metro to Makkah". Railway Gazette International. 15 November 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference traindelivery was invoked but never defined (see the help page).