Saudi: SR20,000 Fine For Sticking Out Hands, Legs On Train
Sticking out hands or legs from windows or doors of a train in Saudi Arabia will be deemed an offence punishable by fines of up to SR20,000, according to rules drafted by transport authorities.
The code of conduct, proposed by the kingdom’s Transport General Authority, states that sticking out hands, legs or any other parts of the body or items from the windows or doors while on a train journey will initially be punished by a fine of SR300, doubled to SR600 on repetition, then SR900 for the third time.
The offender will be fined SR20,000 and denied access to the rail service in case of committing the offence more than three times in a year, the proposed regulations have disclosed. The draft also imposes a fine of SR100 for placing bags or other personal effects on seats, or blocking hallways of a train.
The fine doubles to SR200 on repetition, rises to SR400 for the third time. Likewise, the passenger will be denied train usage for one month in case of involvement in the same offence more than three times in a year, Okaz newspaper reported.
Eating is banned on trains. A violator initially risks a fine of SR100 that triples to SR300 on repetition, rises to SR400 for the third time and the offender will be denied access to the service for one month in case of committing it more than three times in a year.
Smoking on trains or in non-designated areas at stations is punishable by SR200. The smoker will be barred from using the rail service in case of committing the offence more than three times in a year.
Using bikes or skateboards at stations or aboard trains as well as sleeping inside prayer places, disturbing other passengers or the rail staff is deemed an offence punishable by a fine of SR200, increased to SR600 for the second time and SR800 for the third. The offender will be barred from using the rail service in case of committing the offence more than three times in a year.
It is not clear yet when the new rules will take effect.
The high-speed Haramain train service carried more than 41,000 passengers on March 30, the highest in a single day, a Saudi government official has said.
Inaugurated in 2018, the Haramain train connects the Saudi cities of Mecca and Madina, home to Islam’s two holiest places, via the port city of Jeddah. The 450-km-long service aims to transport about 60 million passengers annually.
The service plans more than 2,700 journeys on the Haramain train providing 1.3 million seating to cope with the increasing demand for moving between Mecca and Medina during Ramadan, which is anticipated to end on April 9.
