About 90 per cent of the work on the multibillion-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.

There are now two bridges linking the station with the King Abdulaziz International Airport on a track coming from Madinah. There will be a bridge of 1,500 m in length and 15 m high on the route to Makkah.

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 multibillion-riyal Haramain train will take place on schedule in the second half of this year, said the report.

The actual operation of the train will begin after 2017 to ensure all security and safety procedures work to the satisfaction of the operators, it stated.

The high speed train will be linked to the Makkah metro to provide pilgrims with easy and fast transportation to the holy sites. As many as 12 carriages are being used now in the ongoing test runs between Madinah and King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh, the report added.