Haramain High Speed Railway Increases Makkah-Madinah Trips for Ramadan's Final 10 Days

Each train carries 417 passengers - SPA
Each train carries 417 passengers - SPA
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Haramain High Speed Railway Increases Makkah-Madinah Trips for Ramadan's Final 10 Days

Each train carries 417 passengers - SPA
Each train carries 417 passengers - SPA

The Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) had previously announced its Ramadan operational plan, which included 1.6 million seats and 3,400 trips.

To accommodate the surge in Umrah performers during the final 10 days, 130 additional daily trips were added.
The Haramain High Speed Railway increased station gate capacity from eight to 24 and added two terminals for arrivals and departures to enhance passenger experience during the last 10 days of Ramadan, SPA reported.
Complimentary transportation services were also provided between the station and the Prophet's Mosque for elderly passengers and individuals with special needs.
The Haramain High Speed Railway, among the world's top 10 fastest electric railways with a speed of 300 km/h, and a major transportation project in the Middle East, connects Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah, King Abdulaziz International Airport, and King Abdullah Economic City.



Tangled Humpback Whale Sparks Rescue Mission off Australia

This handout frame grab taken from video footage provided by whale rescue group Organization for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA) on June 9, 2025 shows a distressed humpback whale tangled in a rope swimming south of Sydney Harbor. (Handout and Clay Sweetman / ORRCA / AFP)
This handout frame grab taken from video footage provided by whale rescue group Organization for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA) on June 9, 2025 shows a distressed humpback whale tangled in a rope swimming south of Sydney Harbor. (Handout and Clay Sweetman / ORRCA / AFP)
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Tangled Humpback Whale Sparks Rescue Mission off Australia

This handout frame grab taken from video footage provided by whale rescue group Organization for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA) on June 9, 2025 shows a distressed humpback whale tangled in a rope swimming south of Sydney Harbor. (Handout and Clay Sweetman / ORRCA / AFP)
This handout frame grab taken from video footage provided by whale rescue group Organization for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA) on June 9, 2025 shows a distressed humpback whale tangled in a rope swimming south of Sydney Harbor. (Handout and Clay Sweetman / ORRCA / AFP)

Wildlife rescue teams scoured Australia's east coast on Monday to find and free a distressed humpback whale tangled in a rope.

Aerial footage showed the whale swimming south of Sydney Harbor trailing a rope attached to a floating buoy.

"It makes it more difficult for the whale to dive," said Pip Jacobs from whale rescue group ORRCA.

"It's tiring for the whale, which is already in a state of distress being tangled."

The whale was about eight meters (25 feet) long, Jacobs said, indicating it was still "quite young".

The rope appeared to be tangled around the whale's left pectoral fin, she said.

"The way it is moving is quite erratic," Jacobs told AFP.

"It's moving south which is unusual.

"They should be heading north as part of their migration."

Teams of volunteers and wildlife rescue experts were searching the coastline to pinpoint the whale's location, she said.

But efforts had been hindered by choppy waters and blustery winds.

"If conditions allow and we have eyes on the whale, the best-case scenario is we have a successful disentanglement.

"If they are dragging gear, it hinders their ability to swim freely. The worst-case scenario is the whale can't feed or swim."