The Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) announced plans to add 100,000 seats on the Haramain High Speed Railway this year for pilgrims to the Holy Cities.

The addition will take the total number of seats to 1.6 million this year, SAR said.

The Haramain High Speed Railway runs through five stations linking Mecca to Medina, passing through Jeddah Main Station (Sulaymaniyah), King Abdulaziz International Airport Station in Jeddah, and King Abdullah Economic City Station.

The massive increase in railway seats comes in view of the significant increase in the number of flights carrying Hajj pilgrims this year.

The number of flights this year is expected to go up by 430 compared to last year.

The Haramain High Speed Railway is one of the ten fastest passenger trains in the world with a speed of 300 kilometers per hour, and operates with a fleet of 35 trains, with a capacity of 417 seats per train.

The train is also environmentally friendly with zero carbon emissions.