RIYADH, Feb 21: Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz has approved a project to run high-speed trains to link the holy cities of Makkah and Madina with Jeddah, the port of entry for millions of Muslims who come to the kingdom to perform Haj and Umra.

The SR20 billion ($5.33 billion) project will be financed by the Saudi investment funds, according to Transport Minister Jebarah bin Eid al-Suraisri.

He said the Makkah-Madinah rail link project would bring about revolutionary changes in transportation of pilgrims.

Trains with speeds of over 300km per hour will reduce the travel time between Jeddah and Makkah to 30 minutes and between Jeddah and Madinah to around two hours. The project includes construction of 500km of railway tracks and installation of modern signalling and telecommunication systems.

“We have already finalised 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.

The stations will be located at the Jeddah Islamic Port, King Abdul Aziz International Airport and King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh.