Chinese subway trains in Mecca get a tune-up

Employees of CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co finished the deep maintenance of the first subway train in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday.

The company, which is based in Changchun, Jilin province, provided the first subway trains to the Mecca Metro line in 2010.

The 18-kilometer line, with nine stops connecting major holy sites related to the annual Hajj pilgrimage, is operated during the event annually to ease pilgrim traffic. It is the world's longest metro train with a capacity of nearly 5,000 passengers.

So far, it has safely transported more than 20 million people, alleviating road traffic congestion during the annual event and winning widespread praise from residents.