On Tuesday, the Haramain Express Train was launched in the presence of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The dream of this massive project became a reality the second the train arrived in Madinah from Jeddah. The Haramain Express Train can now be added to the long list of achievements of Saudi Arabia.

This special occasion took me back to a conversation I once had with late Makkah governor Prince Abdulmajeed Bin Abdulaziz when he was in charge of the Haramain Express project. He told me that we would travel on the train in three year’s time. At that time, the project was only an idea on paper and I saw it as something that would take a long time to achieve and was haunted by the fear that the project would be delayed just like some other projects at that time.

But Prince Abdulmajeed was driven by enthusiasm for achieving his dream, and he had a strong will which enabled him to overcome obstacles in his way.

On Tuesday, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman launched the Haramain Express Train by boarding it in Jeddah and traveling to Madinah. All the while, I looked for the face of an absent passenger, whose dream had been achieved. Prince Abdulmajeed Bin Abdulaziz, I will keep your ticket within my soul and you will never be forgotten, may God rest your soul in peace.

This dynamic project, which connects the two Holy Cities through King Abdullah Economic City, Jeddah and King Abdulaziz Airport, will serve 60 million passengers annually, and it will greatly shorten the travel time between Makkah and Madinah. In addition, there are also 3,000 Saudis in charge of operating and maintaining 35 trains and managing the railway stations. – Okaz