China to build Mecca rail system

[Coventina]

Source: BBC

China has signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia to build a new railway system linking the main sites of the annual Muslim pilgrimage, the Hajj.

The new railway will connect the city of Mecca with the pilgrim destinations of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah.

Saudi Arabia also plans to build a high-speed rail link to take pilgrims from Mecca to Medina, Islam's two holiest cities, in 30 minutes.

The journey time by road can take anywhere between four and five hours.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7883182.stm

[derby378]

1. Meanwhile, back in America...

Wasn't high-speed rail cut out of the Senate version of the stimulus package?

[liskddksil]

14. Actually it surprisingly increased to 8 billion

in the conference bill.

[Taverner]

15. I WANT MY SF < - > LA BULLET TRAIN!!!!

[salguine]

2. You know, it's almost like we're building it, since China's using our money. Neat!

[xchrom]

3. hey! congress LOOK at this --

fuckers! do your damn job.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. Some dodgy figures in that

The straight line distance between Mecca and Medina is over 200 miles, but the Beeb's "half an hour' claim is repeated here:

A 230mph rail link between Mecca and Medina will cut the four to five hour-long car journey between Islam's two holiest cities to just half an hour.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/saudiarabia/4587544/China-will-build-special-railway-for-Muslim-pilgrims-in-Saudi-Arabia.html

A train that could cover 200 miles in half an hour would have to have a top speed of about 500mph, allowing for speeding up and slowing down - too fast for any existing technology. They might make it in an hour, if the track is direct, but this reports says it goes via Jeddah:

On Friday, a consortium including China Railway Engineering won a separate 1.8-billion-dollar civil works contract for a 444-kilometre (275-mile) high-speed railway linking the Mecca and Medina through Jeddah.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i0sP6bQbKFYEzqXk_x_9yrihcmAA

[brooklynite]

5. How are they going to provide construction oversight staff?

I thought the Saudi Government didn't allow any non-Muslims in Mecca.

[Chulanowa]

10. I'm sure there are Arabians who can do the local work

Saudi Arabia has lots of engineers. Even if it didn't there are lots of Kuwaitis, Emiratis, Pakistanis, and Egyptians who will be more than welcome to hire on, I'm certain.

[wickerwoman]

13. There are a lot of Chinese Muslims

The western province of Xinjiang is primarily Muslim and the Hui minority are Muslim. I'm sure they can find some people to oversee any aspects of construction where non-Muslims aren't allowed.

[harun]

6. Awesome, hope I get to ride it in a few years when I go on Hajj.

[Ian David]

7. You have to circle the turnstile three times first before you can get on the train. n/t

[unkachuck]

8. "China has signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia..."

....I'm troubled that we couldn't win the contract to build that new Saudi rail system. We could have gotten a couple of billions of our petro-dollars back....if we only knew something about high-speed rail....if we only could design and manufactured things, like we used too....

....sadly, most of the better passenger trains I see around here appear to be slow-speed rail circa 1960....this is what happens when greedy corporations and short-sighted corporate politicans betray American workers and manufacturing for short-term gain....just like wall street; destroying America for fun and profit....

[booley]

9. So when my Friend goes on her Hajj

She'll have an easier time getting around then in her own American City, where Public Transportation is being cut.

[Jack_DeLeon]

11. So how much lead do they need for this?

lol

[Dreamer Tatum]

12. Upcoming headline: China Detains Designer of Mecca Train After Hajj Disaster nt