60 and Highway 15. Highway 15 connects Medina to Mecca in the south and onward and Tabuk and Jordan in the north. Highway 60 connects the city with Yanbu, a port city on the Red Sea in the west and Al Qassim in the east. The city is served by three ring roads: King Faisal Road, a 5 km ring road that surrounds Al-Masjid an-Nabawi and the downtown area, King Abdullah Road, a 27 km road that surrounds most of urban Medina and King Khalid Road is the biggest ring road that surrounds the whole city and some rural areas with 60 km of roads. Bus and rapid transit The bus transport system in Medina was established in 2012 by the MMDA and is operated by SAPTCO. The newly established bus system includes 10 lines connecting different regions of the city to Masjid an-Nabawi and the downtown area, and serves around 20,000 passengers on a daily basis. In 2017, the MMDA launched the Madinah Sightseeing Bus service. Open top buses take passengers on sightseeing trips throughout the day with two lines and 11 destinations, including Masjid an-Nabawi, Quba'a Mosque and Masjid al-Qiblatayn and offers audio tour guidance with 8 different languages. By the end of 2019, the MMDA announced its plan to expand the bus network with 15 BRT lines. The project was set to be done in 2023. In 2015, the MMDA announced a three-line metro project in extension to the public transportation master plan in Medina. Rail The historic Ottoman railways were shut down and the railway stations, including the one in Medina, were converted into museums by the Saudi government. The Haramain High Speed Railway (HHR) came into operation in 2018, linking Medina and Mecca, and passes through three stations: Jeddah, King Abdul Aziz International Airport, and King Abdullah Economic City. It runs along 444 kilometers (276 miles) with a speed of 300 km/h, and has an annual capacity of 60 million passengers. Further reading Mubarakpuri, Safiur Rahman (2011). The Sealed Nectar: Biography of the Noble Prophet ‌‍ﷺ. Riyadh: Darussalam Publishers. Mubarakpuri, Safiur Rahman (2004). The History of Madinah Munawwarah. Riyadh: Darussalam Publishers. Badr, Abdulbasit A. (2013). Madinah, The Enlightened City: History and Landmarks.'' Medina: Al-Madinah Al Munawwarah Research & Studies Center. See also Bibliography of the history of Medina Funky Cold Medina References External links Medina (online exhibition as part of "Hajj: a cultural history") Medina