They have expressed their disappointment that the government had not included the region in the project. Many citizens, heads of government departments and members of municipal councils have reportedly written letters to Asir Governor Prince Khaled Al Faisal requesting him to take the matter up with the Ministry of Transport.

Abdullah Al Mubti, chairman of the Abha Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that construction of a railway system in the Asir region would increase activities in such sectors as business, industry, tourism and the national economy.

He said that as per the latest statistics provided by the chamber, Abha ranked first in the Kingdom in poultry production — 44.3 million chickens a year, which represents about per cent of the Kingdom’s production. Abha alone had 94 licensed poultry farms. A recent survey showed that every riyal spent by a tourist in Asir generates 85 halalas for sales in tourist-related industries in the region and 13 halalas as part of the wages given to employees in the industry.

Al Mubti added that there were 83 factories in the region where 13,000 Saudi and non-Saudis work. He felt that building a railway system in Asir would help domestic tourism and discourage Saudis from travelling abroad. He noted that most Saudis preferred not to visit Saudi tourist spots due to the great difficulty they find in getting there.

Prince Khaled has sent a letter to Minister of Transport Dr Jabara Al Seraisry describing the problems facing the region because of the increase in traffic, particularly on the road that links Abha with Khamis Mushayt.

The Prince added that the region would benefit from a railway system that would help tourism flourish in the region. Planned mining industry projects in the region would also benefit from a railway system. Last year the Ministry of Transport said that it was about to finalise the proposed draft for the railway expansion after it was approved by the Supreme Economic Council. However, the railway link would not cover the southern region of Asir, the Kingdom’s most attractive tourist destination.

Mohammad Al Humaid, head of the Abha Literary Club and a member of the municipal council, said that the reasons for constructing a railway project in Asir were just as important as anywhere else in the Kingdom. He said the region was populous and backed gigantic economic projects in the mining industry, in addition to tourism.

“These reasons should be more than enough to convince the Ministry of Transport to include the region in its proposed railway project,” he said.

Abdullah bin Aftan, another member of the municipal council, said Asir was among the regions in the Kingdom most in need of such a project.