Princess Nora University gets license for automated on-campus metro

DAMMAM: The Saudi Railway Authority (SRA) yesterday granted a first-of-its-kind license to Riyadh’s Princess Nora bint Abdulrahman University for the operation of automated trains on the sprawling campus.
So far, the on-campus metro was manually operated, transporting women students and staff members from one college to another and between many other academic and administrative institutions on the campus. With a capacity to enroll about 50,000 students, it is the largest women-only university in the world. Its residential area has about 1,400 villas and its massive hostel facilities can accommodate 12,000 students. The campus sits on a site that exceeds 800 hectares.
The new license was signed at the SRA headquarters in Dammam after getting the approval from the board of directors, chaired by Transport Minister Jabara Al-Seraisry.
“The authority issued a safety certificate for the automated operation of the trains after conducting a thorough study,” said SRA Acting President Hamad bin Abdul Rahman Al-Abdulqader. “The report, prepared by experts, went into all safety aspects before giving the go-ahead.”
The new license replaces the previous one for manual operation of the metro. “It is part of SRA’s efforts to improve the railway system in the Kingdom,” he said.
The Saudi Railway Authority, headed by the minister of transport, is tasked with operating and maintaining the railway lines in the Kingdom.