Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro Southern Line
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| Overview | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Native name | قطار المشاعر المقدسة الخط الجنوبي | ||
| Owner | Makkah Mass Rail Transit Company (MMRTC) | ||
| Locale | Eastern Mecca, Saudi Arabia | ||
| Transit type | Rapid transit | ||
| Number of lines | 1 | ||
| Number of stations | 9 | ||
| Daily ridership | 72,000 pphpd (Design capacity) | ||
| Annual ridership | 7 days operation only | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | November 13, 2010 | ||
| Operator(s) | Prasarana (Malaysia) | ||
| Character | All elevated | ||
| Number of vehicles | 17 | ||
| Train length | 276·8 m long and 3091 mm wide, (5 doors 12-car trains) | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 18.1 km (11.2 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||
| Electrification | 1,500 V DC Overhead catenary |
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The Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro Southern Line, (Arabic: قطار المشاعر المقدسة الخط الجنوبي qtar al mashaaer al mugaddassah al khat diljanubi) is a metro line in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Claimed to have the highest capacity of any metro in the world, it only operates for 7 days a year, and been used as an exclusive shuttle train for pilgrims between holy sites in Mecca, Mount Arafat, Muzdalifah and Mina to reduce congestion caused by thousand of buses and cars during the Hajj.
The line was opened on November 13, 2010, in time for the Hajj 1431 between November 25–29, 2010. It was built separately from, and will not be physically linked to, the future Mecca Metro network.
The Saudis estimate the line will replace 53,000 buses, promising a safer, more comfortable pilgrimage. By the time of the 2011 Hajj (Hajj 1432) it was able to operate at 100% capacity and is estimated to have carried more that 3.95 million passengers making it, for that period, the most intensively used metro line in the world and among the busiest systems in the world. Each 12 car train carries 3,000 passengers and the headway is 150 seconds (24 trains per hour).
In peak periods the line operates with a special `group shuttle' schedule or better known as train movement "D" with three departure stations and three arrival stations. (At each holy site on the line there are three stations.) At off-peak times stopping-all-stations service is run.
In March 2010, Serco Middle East was awarded a contract by China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC) to advise on the operation and maintenance of the Makkah Metro. CRCC had been awarded the design, build, operate and maintain contract in 2008 by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs.
In November 2014, Metro project promoter Makkah Mass Rail Transit Co has selected Kuala Lumpur transport agency Prasarana to provide consultancy services during Phase 1 of the Makkah Public Transport Programme. Phase 1 covers the construction of two metro lines totalling 45·1 km and 22 stations, with commissioning scheduled by 2019.
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