Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) has signed a modernization contract with Hitachi Rail to upgrade the Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro, the dedicated line that moves pilgrims between the holy sites during Hajj. According to Railway Gazette International, the agreement was announced on September 23, 2026 at the InnoTrans 2026 rail industry exhibition in Berlin.
What the Contract Covers
The deal brings together Saudi Arabia Railways and Hitachi Rail's Signaling and Rail Solutions division. According to Railway Gazette, the partnership will focus on "enhancing the metro line, with a focus on improving reliability, operational performance and long term service sustainability."
The contract value and detailed timeline were not disclosed. The work centres on the signalling and control systems that govern how trains run, an area that becomes critical when the line carries enormous crowds within a compressed window each year. Carlo Piacenza, Hitachi Rail's Vice President for the Middle East and Africa, said the project "marks another significant milestone in our longstanding partnership with SAR," according to Railway Gazette.
A Line Built for the Peak of Hajj
The Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro is unlike an ordinary city transit line. It runs for 18 kilometres and connects the pilgrimage sites, and it operates only during the Hajj season. Its scale is built around the extraordinary surge of pilgrims who must move between Arafat, Muzdalifah and Mina within hours during the rites.
According to Railway Gazette, the line can carry up to 72,000 passengers per direction every hour, and it moves more than 500,000 pilgrims during an eight-hour operating period. The service transforms travel times across the holy sites. A journey between Arafat and Mina that can take around eight hours by car or bus during the crush of Hajj is cut to under one hour by the metro.
That capacity has made the line one of the most important pieces of crowd-movement infrastructure in the Hajj operation, easing pressure on roads that would otherwise be overwhelmed by buses and pedestrians during the busiest days of the pilgrimage.
Why Modernization Matters for Pilgrims
Because the line runs at full intensity for only a few days each year, reliability during those days is everything. A signalling upgrade is aimed at keeping trains running smoothly and safely at the highest frequencies, when there is no margin for delays. By improving operational performance and long-term sustainability, the modernization is intended to protect the line's ability to handle peak loads for years to come.
The agreement also reflects the wider drive to strengthen transport around Makkah and the holy sites as pilgrim numbers grow under Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 goals. Smoother movement between the ritual sites reduces physical strain on pilgrims, many of whom are elderly, and lowers the risk of dangerous congestion during the most crowded moments of Hajj.
The timing of the announcement is notable. Revealing the contract at InnoTrans, one of the world's largest rail industry gatherings, signals that Saudi Arabia is treating pilgrim transport as a showcase of its rail ambitions rather than a purely seasonal operation. The Kingdom has invested heavily in rail links serving the holy cities in recent years, and upgrades to the Mashaaer line sit alongside broader efforts to connect Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah more efficiently for the tens of millions of pilgrims and visitors who arrive each year.
For pilgrims, the practical promise is straightforward. When the signalling and control systems are more robust, trains can be dispatched more frequently and more predictably during the narrow windows when huge crowds need to move at once. That directly shortens the time pilgrims spend waiting under the sun and helps campaign organisers keep to the tight ritual timetable that governs the days of Hajj.
Practical Tips for Pilgrims
Pilgrims planning for future Hajj seasons should note that access to the Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro is arranged through official Hajj packages and service providers rather than booked individually, so confirm with your provider whether metro transport is included. Because the line runs only during Hajj and follows strict scheduling by group, pilgrims should follow the timing and station instructions given by their campaign leaders to avoid missing their allotted trains. Travelling light, staying with your group, and keeping your Nusuk identification accessible will make transfers between Arafat, Muzdalifah and Mina far smoother.