Source from (Bernama): http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v7/ge/newsgeneral.php?id=965393
Published: July 24, 2013
The plan that includes housing, transportation, catering, shopping and historical sites will ensure that Muslims from all over the world can have a safe and nice journey when they perfom Haj or Umrah in this holy city.
Mayor of Mecca, Dr Osama Al-Bar said as part of the plan to make Mecca a modern city, two mega projects were being undertaken for the city as a whole, besides special projects such as the expansion of the Masjidil Haram (Grand Mosque).
He said the first project was to complete all the road construction that had started in 2010 and expected to be completed by 2017.
"Another project is the public transportation network for metro lines and buses. The metro network will consist of four lines. Hopefully, the first phase of the execution will start in June 2014.
"The total link of the network is around 182 km and it will have 88 stations. That will cover the whole of Mecca..north to south, east to west. Every place will be covered by this network," he told Malaysian reporters when met at his office, here.
He said for the metro lines, two-thirds of the network would be over ground while one-third, which is in the central area and near Masjidil Haram, would be underground.
As for the Masjidil Haram, Al-Bar said after certain parts of the great mosque had been expanded since last year, it could now accommodate 400,000 people for prayers during this Ramadan.
The three-year expansion work started just after Haj in mid-November last year. When the whole expansion project is completed, the capacity will be for more than 1.5 million people up to a total of almost two million.
The mayor believed that the capacity of the expanded mosque could accommodate the congregation for at least 20 years.
"There is an increasing number for Muslims coming here from all over the world for Haj and Umrah, as the financial situation of the Muslim states and our Muslim brothers is good.
"This is the most comprehensive expansion for the Masjidil Haram in history. When King Abdullah was appointed as the King of Saudi Arabia in August 2005, the first project he started was the expansion of the Mas'aa (an area to perform Saie).
"The project was completed two years ago. After that, the capacity of the Mas'aa was increased from around 28,000 pilgrims per hour up to 130,000 per hour," he said.
Al-Bar said increasing the capacity of the Mataf, an area for tawaf around the Ka'aba, had also now become crucial.
"This is a new project. When completed, the Mataf can accommodate around 48,000 up to 130,000 pilgrims per hour."
On the project for a high-speed train between Medina and Mecca which would be completed in two years' time, Al-Bar said it would reduce the travel time to two hours compared to five hours by road.
"Mecca and Medina are always special. King Abdullah, as the custodian of the two holy cities, knows these are the most important places for Muslims.
"It is an opportunity to help our fellow Muslims in their journey when they perform Haj or Umrah. This is an investment for the future for all Muslims, and not only for the Saudi Arabians. Saudis represent only a small portion," he said.
-- BERNAMA
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