$16.5bn budget for Makkah transport system upgrade
Construction for four metrol line, 88 station project will be carried out over 10 years
The Saudi government has given the go ahead to a $16.5bn plan to upgrade the transport system in Makkah to cope with the growing number of visitors and pilgrims to the holy city.
The plan involves building four metro lines and 88 stations with a total length of 182km across the city.
Construction for the project will be carried out over about 10 years, according to a report by the state news agency SPA, which did not specify when it would start or how companies would bid for contracts.
More than six million visitors from across the world visit Makkah every year for the Haj and Umrah pilgrimages, straining the city’s narrow roads and outdated transport system.
The Kingdom is also spending billions on upgrading the transport system in the capital Riyadh and on a high-speed rail line connecting Makkah with the holy city of Madinah.
