* Line extends from Ras Bu Abboud in the east to Al Aziziyah in the west
* Total of 11 stations on the line
* Timings to be same as those for Red Line

The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) has announced that the trial operation of the Doha Metro's Gold Line will start for the public on Thursday.

Running from east to west across Doha, the line extends from Ras Bu Abboud Station to Al Aziziyah Station and covers a total of 11 stations, the MoTC said in a statement on Tuesday.

The other nine stations are National Museum, Souq Waqif, Msheireb, Bin Mahmoud, Al Sadd, Joaan, Al Sudan, Al Waab and Sport City.

Operation timings for the Gold Line will be the same as those for the Red Line - from 6am to 11pm, Saturday through Thursday, and from 2pm to 11pm on Friday.

Doha Metro users can switch between the Red Line and the Gold Line at Msheireb Station.

New routes will be allocated to the Metrolink feeder bus service to cover a wider area and serve more neighbourhoods adjacent to the stations, the statement notes

The Metrolink service was introduced to transport passengers from neighbouring areas to and from the Metro stations.

In a post on its Doha Metro & Lusail Tram Twitter page on Tuesday, Qatar Rail said "we are pleased to announce the launch of the preview service for the Doha Metro Gold Line", and advised the public to visit http://qr.com.qa for more information or follow it at @metrotram_qa

"There are exciting new journey opportunities with the launch of our Gold Line. Head to Souq Waqif to immerse yourself in local tradition, or to the National Museum to soak up rich Qatari culture. Starting the 21st of November," it said in another tweet.

Operations on the Doha Metro network's first line - Red Line - were launched on May 8 this year. Since then, the service has seen excellent response from the public.

Initially running from Sunday until Thursday, the timings of the Red Line were extended to cover weekends and become a seven-days-a-week service from September 27.

The initial operation of the Red Line includes 13 out of 18 stations: Al Qassar, DECC, QIC West Bay, Corniche, Al Bidda (Interchange Station), Msheireb (Interchange Station), Al Doha Al Jadeda, Umm Ghawalina, Al Matar Al Qadeem, Oqba Ibn Nafie, Free Zone, Ras Bu Fontas and Al Wakra.



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