Mina, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia has unveiled an elevated light-rail that will shuttle some Muslims beginning the hajj Sunday between Islam's holy sites, part of plans to turn the ancient city of Mecca into a modern metropolis and ease crowding during the annual pilgrimage.
The four-day Islamic pilgrimage draws around 2.5 million worshippers each year, and the large numbers present authorities with a challenge in preventing stampedes, fires in pilgrim encampments and the spread of disease.
Dubbed the Mecca Metro, the new 11-mile (18-kilometer) light-railway is to begin shuttling pilgrims between holy sites Monday, although it's reserved for Saudis and citizens of other Gulf nations until it becomes fully operational next year.
The train is just part of a bold plan to transform Mecca into a modern, high-tech city and increase the number of pilgrims it can host annually from the current 10 million to around 50 million by 2020.
"We are trying to make Mecca the first city in the world that realizes the desires of its residents and visitors throughout the year by using the best urban planning, the smartest technology to ensure the trip of the pilgrim is safe, easy, and enjoyable," Mecca mayor Ossama al-Bar told The Associated Press.
He said the 10-year plan devised last year also envisions new roads, an improved health care and labs to keep track of viruses green initiatives and a new broadband communication network to enable pilgrims to stay connected. Religious entertainment, including cultural events to explain the history of Islam and Mecca, is also in the works.
Another step was taken Sunday, when officials signed a $7 billion deal to develop the nearest airport in the city of Jiddah, boosting its capacity to 30 million travelers a year.
"It is a huge project. But it started and we hope God willing it will be finished within the designed period," al-Bar said in his makeshift office in the heart of a tent city accommodating thousands of pilgrims at Mina.
The first phase of the Mecca Metro project will transport pilgrims between Mina, Mount Arafat and Muzdalifa — three stops during the pilgrims' journey that trace the steps of the Prophet Muhammad and Abraham. Muslims believe Abraham built the ancient structure in Mecca's Grand Mosque known as the Kaaba.
The lime green cars zoom along an elevated rail, passing over the permanent white tents where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims spend the night on the way to the major sites. There are 12 trains now, each with a capacity of 3,000 people, said train operator Ahmed Hosny. It will begin a limited service Monday, operating at around 33 percent of its expected capacity.
The $2 billion train, which does not stop at holy sites in Mecca itself, was constructed by a Chinese company.
During the tests Sunday, a recorded message in Arabic and English warned passengers to "mind the gap," borrowing the much-loved phrase from London's metro, known as The Tube.
Officials say next year it will be at full capacity, serving around 500,000 pilgrims and disposing of thousands of buses that shuttle the pilgrims between rituals and crowd the streets and pollute the air.
During the hajj, pilgrims seek forgiveness for their sins and meditate on their faith, while tracing the steps of the Prophet Muhammad and also Abraham, who Muslims believe built the ancient structure in Mecca's Grand Mosque known as the Kaaba.
Over several days, the pilgrims will circle the Kabaa, re-enact the desperate search by Abraham's wife for water for her son Ishmael, and perform the symbolic act of stoning the devil.
Saudi Arabia has for years carried out development and construction projects to expand and improve the spaces used by the millions of pilgrims from around the world who are performing the hajj — one of Islam's main pillars required of every able-bodied Muslim once in their lifetime.
Nearly 3 million pilgrims had already arrived before the weekend, and Saudi officials say they expect a nearly 20 percent increase in the numbers this year compared to last year.
In terms of crowd control, the most dangerous ritual takes place in Mina. There pilgrims carry out a symbolic stoning of the devil, pelting three walls representing Satan with pebbles.
In 2006, more than 360 pilgrims were killed in a stampede. Since then, Saudi authorities have expanded the giant ramp around the walls to five stories, spreading out the masses over different levels to prevent jams.
The developments in Mecca also aim to replace slum areas with new hotels and residential suites to serve rich and poor pilgrims throughout the year, the mayor al-Bar said.
Even during hajj, construction was under way to expand the Grand Mosque in Mecca, and cranes loomed over the heads of the pilgrims as they encircled the Kaaba.
Nearly 1,500 buildings to the north of the mosque have been knocked down to make way for the expansion. A seven-tower commercial and hotel complex built in the past few years offers pilgrims glitzy shopping and pricey rooms with a view overlooking the shrine and mosque.
Many worry the development around the holy shrines are stripping Mecca of its heritage and spirituality. But al-Bar maintains there is no harm in new buildings so long as they don't violate Islamic belief.