Riyadh Train The electric train, also known as the Riyadh Metro, is part of the King Abdulaziz Public Transportation Project in Riyadh, which consists of trains and buses. Six main metro lines are being constructed to crisscross the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in all directions, traveling at a speed of 80 km per hour, with a capacity of up to 1.16 million passengers per day, and featuring 85 stations, at a cost of $22.5 billion. The partial launch of the Riyadh Metro officially began on three routes in the first phase on November 27, 2024.
Overview of the Riyadh Metro Project
The Riyadh Metro project involves the construction of six railway lines spanning 176 kilometers, operated by driverless electric trains, In addition, 40% of the train route will be underground, allowing traffic to continue as normal. It is the largest public transportation network project in the world and in the Middle East currently under development.
The goal of the Riyadh Metro project
Estimates indicate that Riyadh’s population will grow from approximately six million people currently to more than 8.5 million over the next ten years, which requires more efficient alternatives to meet the city’s current and projected transportation needs.
Operational Capacity of the Riyadh Metro
The project’s capacity will reach 3.6 million passengers per day in ten years, up from 1.16 million passengers at the start of operations.
Expected Benefits of the Riyadh Metro
The project will help reduce the number of car trips by approximately 250,000 per day and save the equivalent of 400,000 liters of fuel daily, thereby reducing air pollution emissions.
Riyadh Metro Phase 1 Routes
The first phase of the project, inaugurated by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, includes three routes from the network, which comprises six main lines, namely:
The Blue Line: Al-Olaya – Al-Bathah – Al-Hayir corridor, 38 kilometers long.
The Yellow Line: King Khalid International Airport Road corridor, 29.6 kilometers long.
The Violet Line: The Abdul Rahman bin Auf Road – Sheikh Hassan bin Hussein bin Ali Road corridor, 30 kilometers long.
Key Facts and Figures
There are 954 escalators and more than 600 elevators inside the Riyadh Metro stations.
Construction began in the first quarter of 2014.
Work on the Riyadh Metro project officially began on Thursday, April 3, 2014.
The project took five years to complete, including eight months for design, preparatory work, and site preparation; 48 months for actual construction; followed by four months for trial operation and project handover.
