The dedicated train for the Hajj holy sites transported as many as 75,000 pilgrims from Arafat to Muzdalifah, the Saudi Press Agency reported, citing the Makkah Region Development Authority.
Train services will continue till 2pm on 13 Dhulhijjah (24 August), covering Eid and the three days after that. The train serves Arafat, Mina 1, Mina 2, Mina 3 and Jamarat stations, where stone pillars are pelted with pebbles as a Hajj ritual.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, KSA issued a statement about the Jamarat rite, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The ministry stated that 10 Dhulhijjah is the day of sacrifice, during which pilgrims will go to Mina where they throw seven pebbles at the Jamarat. They then shave their heads and circumnabulate the Ka'aba as the last formal Hajj ritual.
The KSA General Directorate of Passports separately said that Hajj pilgrims from abroad should not travel outside Makkah, Jeddah and Madinah. Pilgrims have been known to decide not to return home for economic reasons - looking for work in KSA instead, or for religious reasons - wanting to stay on in the holy sites.
According to the General Authority for Statistics, KSA, 2,371,675 pilgrims performed the Hajj in 2018.