RIYADH — Riyadh Metro, the largest in the Middle East and the longest driverless train in the world, will commence operations officially on Sunday, Dec. 1. The metro project, which was inaugurated by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman on Wednesday, is expected to reduce traffic congestion in Riyadh by 30 percent, according to an official at the Royal Commission for Riyadh City. Maher Shira, first general manager of the General Administration of Smart Cities and acting director of the digital infrastructure for the King Abdulaziz Public Transport Project, said that the Darb application, which was launched on Thursday, is an integrated digital platform that aims to improve the transportation experience in the city of Riyadh. Three lines out of the six lines of Riyadh Metro will start operations on Sunday, with a length of 176 kilometers, encompassing 85 stations, including 4 main stations. The initial phase will witness the inauguration of Line 1, the Al Olaya-Al Batha route (Blue Line), alongside Line 4, King Khalid International Airport Road (Yellow Line), and Line 6, stretching across Abdulrahman bin Auf Road and Sheikh Hassan bin Hussein bin Ali Road (Purple Line), from December 1. Two weeks later on December 15, Line 2, King Abdullah Road (Red Line), and Line 5, King Abdulaziz Road (Green Line), will begin their operations. The culmination of this phased rollout will occur on January 5, 2025, with Line 3, Madinah Road (Orange Line), marking the full activation of all six lines.
