King OKs Rail Link Between Holy Cities

www.Fatwa-online.com

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has ordered the implementation of the Makkah-Jeddah-Madinah railway project using Saudi local funds, Transport Minister Dr. Jabara Al-Seraisry announced yesterday.

He said the royal directive would speed up the implementation of the project known as Makkah-Madinah Rail Link (MMRL), which is estimated to cost SR20 billion ($5.33 billion) and bring about revolutionary changes in the transportation of pilgrims between the two holy cities.

The minister said the MMRL, designed to operate trains with a speed of over 300 km per hour, would reduce travel time between Jeddah and Makkah to 30 minutes and between Jeddah and Madinah to not more than two hours.

The MMRL includes the construction of approximately 500 km of new high-speed electrified railway lines between Jeddah and Makkah and between Jeddah and Madinah. Railway lines will be equipped with modern signaling and telecommunications systems.

“We have already finalized the route for the rail project and identified the locations for stations in Makkah, Jeddah and Madinah,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the minister as saying. He said the project would improve the quality of public transport in the Kingdom.

An informed source told Arab News that special committees are currently surveying the land along the route to implement the project. The committees will also estimate the money to be paid to land owners in compensation after land acquisition.

MMRL will have stations at Jeddah Islamic Port, King Abdul Aziz International Airport and King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh, the source said, adding that it would pass by the eastern border of Jeddah.

Six consortia — the Al-Rajhi Consortium, the Saudi Binladin Group, Saudi Oger, the Saudi Japanese Consortium, the Al-Sholah Consortium and the OHL International — are vying for the contract.

In a previous statement, Al-Seraisry said the six consortia would be invited to submit their tenders within a few months. Railway contractors believe that the project would be awarded to one consortium or two consortia by the beginning of 2009 after completing studies on financial and technical offers.

The MMRL aims to provide a safe, fast, and comfortable mode of transport for an estimated 10 million Umrah and Haj pilgrims traveling between the two holy cities and Jeddah. The project will be implemented on a design, build, operate and transfer (DBOT) basis.

Highlighting the profitability of the project, Al-Seraisry said the MMRL would make SR500 million by 2010 and SR750 million by 2030. The populations of Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah are collectively in excess of five million. Jeddah is home to about 2.8 million people.

The MMRL is part of a major railway expansion program, which involves the construction of 950 km of new tracks between Riyadh and Jeddah and a 115 km line between Dammam and Jubail.

Women Driving is Not in Conflict With Religion: Scholars

www.fatwa-online.com

A well-regarded Saudi religious scholar said that there is nothing in Islamic law that bans women from driving and that the fatwas issued in this regard are based on individual judgments.

“In principle women driving is permitted in Islam,” said Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Al-Obaikan, a member of the Kingdom’s Council of Senior Islamic Scholars.

The ban, he said, has to do with the social complications rather than the act itself. As an example, the sheikh referred to a fatwa from former Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Bin-Baz that said it is permitted for women in rural areas to drive cars, but that they should be forbidden from driving in the cities where, as Al-Obaikan said, “youths (even) harass women accompanied by parents and drivers.

He said if certain issues are resolved, such as the problem of men’s behavior and traffic safety, then he sees no religiously motivated conflict with women driving.

Sheikh Mehsin Al-Awaji, another prominent religious scholar in the Kingdom, agreed. “No religious scholar is going to tell you differently,” he said. “But (the issue of) women driving comes as a ‘package’ and we need to fix the ‘package’ before making the decision (to allow women to drive).”

Expanding on the idea that allowing women to drive in Saudi Arabia comes with a “package” of issues, Al-Awaji said there needs to be Saudi women working as police officers, mechanics and other positions. The sheikh diminished the significance of women driving, saying that myriad social reforms have higher priority, even in the realm of empowering women or encouraging public participation in important social challenges.

The Saudi government has pointed out that there is no law that states women cannot drive. “The Interior Ministry’s stand is clear on this,” said ministry spokesman Gen. Mansour Al-Turki.

In a previous statement, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah said that Saudi women would be permitted to drive someday.

As salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. I found these comments on a virtual toursim web site.

Daebissa said: TAXIS!!!! Probably the best thing you can do when you find a good taxi driver that can speak passable English is to snatch him up! Get his mobile number, and if you are planning to go somewhere, you can call ahead. That way, you know you are with someone you can trust and who doesn’t rip you off. Secondly - KNOW SOME ARABIC. There are a few arabic words that can get you by in a taxi. I am going to type these how they sound phonetically. These are: 1) Al la toule (straight head, all the way straight, no turning). 2) Yamine (right) 3) Yasaar (left) 4) Henna (here, i.e., stop) Thirdly - KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING. There is nothing more frustrating and tear-evoking than driving around Jeddah with someone who doesn’t speak English trying to tell him where to go when you don’t even know yourself. Be careful, because when you ask the driver at first if he knows where _________ is (fill in the blank), he will probably say yes, even if he doesn’t know. Fourth and lastly - KNOW THE PRICE OF WHERE YOU ARE GOING. Before you even get into the taxi, ask how much. He will give probably a high quote, so then you tell him what you already know the price should be. He should smarten up and take you for that price.

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June said: The fastest and most accessbile way to go around the city is taking the taxicab, you won’t miss it, they’re all in white uniform color. Negotiate for the fare before even jumping into one, that’s how it goes. Taxi meters, though functioning, are not really in use on most taxis, except maybe if you request for it. However, you would end up paying more. Bargaining is the name of the game. Fare ranges from SR5 to 25, depends on your destination. Coming from the airport to the city centre, may cost from SR30 to 50.

Rail Linking Makkah and Madinah to Cost SR20bn
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News

JEDDAH, 9 July 2007 — Six consortia, including leading national and international companies, are vying for the Makkah-Madinah Rail Link (MMRL) project, which is estimated to cost SR20 billion ($5.33 billion) and bring about revolutionary changes in the transportation of pilgrims between the two holy cities.

The competing consortia — the Al-Rajhi Consortium, the Saudi Binladin Group, Saudi Oger, the Saudi Japanese Consortium, the Al-Sholah Consortium and the OHL International — are awaiting project specifications from the Saudi Railways Organization (SRO).

Transport Minister Dr. Jabara Al-Seraisry, chairman of SRO, said the six consortia would be invited to submit their tenders within a few months. Railway contractors believe that the project would be awarded to one consortium or two consortia by the beginning of 2009 after completing studies on financial and technical offers.

The MMRL aims to provide a safe, fast, and comfortable mode of transport for an estimated 10 million Umrah and Haj pilgrims traveling between the two holy cities and Jeddah. The project will be implemented on a design, build, operate and transfer (DBOT) basis.

The MMRL includes the construction of approximately 500 kilometers of new high-speed electrified railway lines between Jeddah and Makkah and between Jeddah and Madinah. Railway lines will also be equipped with modern signaling and telecommunications systems.

The SRO has planned the project after observing the growing number of people who travel between the three cities. Nearly 2.5 million pilgrims visit the two holy cities during the Haj season. In addition, 7.5 million people, including two million in Ramadan alone, come for Umrah annually.

Emphasizing the profitability of the project, Al-Seraisry said the MMRL would make SR500 million by 2010 and SR750 million by 2030. The MMRL will also reduce travel time between Jeddah and Makkah to 30 minutes and Jeddah and Madinah to 150 minutes.

The Saudi population, which is increasing at the rate of 3.27 percent annually, will reach 39 million in 2020 and 47 million in 2030. The populations of Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah are collectively in excess of five million, with Jeddah home to about 2.8 million people.

The MMRL is part of a major railway expansion project initiated by SRO, which also involves the construction of 950 kilometers of new tracks between Riyadh and Jeddah and another 115 km line between Dammam and Jubail.

Al-Seraisry emphasized the significance of the land bridge, saying it would strengthen the Kingdom’s position on the map of regional and international transport. It would also reduce travel time between Riyadh and Jeddah by at least five hours depending on the type of trains used. Cargo trains would be able to cover the distance between Jeddah and Dammam in 24 hours.

Four consortia led by the Saudi Binladin Group, Bouygues, Mada Industrial and Commercial Investment Company, and the Public Warehouse Company (PWC) have been qualified to present their offers to win the land bridge project contract. They include a large number of contractors, companies that specialize in the railway industry and prominent Saudi investors.

ArabNews.com