About 90 per cent of the work on the multi-billion-riyal Haramain High-Speed Rail project has been completed, including the world’s widest overpass at about 70m wide, said a report.

One of the biggest projects in the region, the Haramain rail will connect the Saudi cities of Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah. The work is progressing well with about 429 km out of 447 km already constructed, reported the Arab News.

Twelve Spanish companies are currently involved in completing the second stage of the project, which includes several suspension bridges of 2,500 m in length and 24 m high. Ninety per cent of these structures have been completed, the report stated.

Senior officials involved in the project said the entire construction work will be completed on schedule by the year-end, thus refuting rumours which cited delays due to nonpayment of salaries of a number of workers involved in the project. Test runs of the Haramain train will take place on schedule in the second half of this year, with actual operation to begin after 2017 to ensure all security and safety measures are in place.