All aboard! The first test run train journey between Mecca and Medina on Saudi Arabia’s Haramain High Speed Rail project arrived in Mecca on Tuesday.

The Haramain Project is also known as the "Western Railway" or the "Makkah-Medina high speed railway."

Rumaih bin Mohammed Al-Rumaih, Chairman of the Public Transport Authority (PTA), said that multiple test journies are taking place to ensure the safety and efficiency of the new railway system before it is officially operative at the end of 2017.

The CEO of the Saudi Railway Company (SAR), Bashar Al Malik, said that the new railway line will not only improve public transport between Mecca and Medina, but that it will show Saudi in a modern light to the Kingdom’s visitors.

“The Railway Corp. seeks to play its role in realizing Vision 2030 by harnessing its energies to serve pilgrims and guests through the Haramain train project, linking Makkah and Madinah through Jeddah, King AbdulAziz International Airport and KAEC in Rabigh,” said Al-Rumaih, Chairman of the Public Transport Authority (PTA).

Saudi’s upcoming high-speed train system marks an innovative, modern age of transportation for the Kingdom.

At least 60 million passengers are expected to ride the 450-km-long electric railway annually, via 35 trains.

This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition