RIYADH — The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) announced the opening of the Ministry of Interior and Murabba stations on the Blue Line of the Riyadh Metro project on Monday. The Blue Line, which connects the Olaya Street to Batha, started operations on Dec. 1. There has been tremendous response from Saudi citizens and expatriates as well as visitors in the Riyadh city in taking advantage of the metro service, which was instrumental in easing traffic congestion in the city. The metro is widely acclaimed as a qualitative step in the transportation system in Riyadh. The Riyadh Metro, the largest in the Middle East and the longest driverless train in the world, is the backbone of the Public Transport Network in Riyadh. Marking a new era in public transport for the Saudi capital city, the Riyadh Metro started operations officially across three lines on Dec. 1. The three lines that have started operations in the initial phase are the 1st line (Blue Line); 4th line (Yellow Line); and the 6th line (Purple Line). The Yellow Line runs along the King Khalid International Airport Road while the Purple Line connects Abdul Rahman bin Awf Road with Al-Shaikh Hassan bin Hussain Road. In the second phase, Line 2, (Red Line) that covers King Abdullah Road, and Line 5 (Green Line) that covers King Abdulaziz Road will begin their operations on Dec. 15. The culmination of this phased rollout will occur on January 5, 2025, with Line 3 (Orange Line) covering Madinah Road, marking the full activation of all six lines. The Riyadh Metro project consists of an extensive network of six main lines, spanning 176 kilometers and connecting 85 stations, including 4 main stations.
