ECONOMY

METRO LINE COMPLETION BOOSTS RIYADH’S CONNECTIVITY

Riyadh launched the Red and Green public metro lines in December and Orange line in January, marking a new era of public transportation in the Saudi capital.

The Red Line is 25.1 kilometres (km) long, and runs from east to west along King Abdullah Road, connecting King Fahd Sports City to King Saud University across 15 stations, including the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center, according to the Royal Commission for Riyadh City. It also intersects with the Blue Line at the STC Station, with the Green Line at the Ministry of Education Station, and with the Purple Line at Al Hamra Station.

The Green Line, King Abdulaziz Road, is 13.3 km long, and runs from King Abdullah Road along the Ministry of Education all the way to the National Museum. Its 12 stations serve several government entities, including the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Finance, and theMinistry of Commerce, as well as several commercial, service facilities, and residential areas. 

The Green Line intersects with the Red Line at the Ministry of Education Station, and with the Blue Line at the National Museum Station. Passengers can identify destinations and purchase tickets using the “Darb” mobile application or at the Riyadh Metro stations.

ORANGE LINE

In January, the Orange Line also kicked off, stretching from east to west, with its stations spanning from Jeddah Road to the Second Eastern Ring Road, parallel to the Khashm Al Aan in the East, with a total length of 41 km.

The launch of the Orange Line marks the completion of the phased rollout of all six lines of the Riyadh Metro network in accordance with the plan announced at the project’s inauguration.

Passengers can access Jeddah Road, Tuwaiq, Al Dawh, Harun Al Rashid Road, and An Naseem – an interchange station that links the Orange and Purple lines. Separately, RCRC has announced the start of operations of three new stations on the Blue Line (Al Olaya – Al Batha Axis): Al Murooj, Bank Al Bilad, and King Fahad Library.

The six lines of the Riyadh Metro network will improve connectivity across the capital and ease travel for both residents and visitors, with operating hours from 6am to 12am.

Apart from the three recently inaugurated lines, the metro system also features the 38-km Blue line, that runs along Al-Olaya to Al Batha with 25 stations, including SAB station. The Yellow line, which follows King Khalid International Airport Road on a length of 29.7 km and includes 10 stations; and the Purple Line that traverses Abdulrahman bin Aauf Street to Sheikh Hassan bin Hussain bin Ali Road for a length of 28.8 km and with 11 stations.

In the initial operating phase, all Riyadh trains can accommodate 1.3 million passengers per day, while the maximum daily capacity is 3.6 million passengers.

Work officially began on implementing the Riyadh Metro project in 2014. Since then, around 65,000 workers were involved in the project at 250 work sites. In addition to the main stations, there are 34 elevated stations, four ground-level stations, and 47 underground stations. The project comprises a fleet of 184 trains and hundreds of wagons manufactured by major international companies including Siemens of Germany, Bombardier of Canada, and Alstom of France.

BOOSTING CONNECTIVITY

The expansion of metro systems and other rail infrastructure is part of a concerted effort to provide the country with a diverse range of transpor-tation services, enhance safety, and reduce environmental pollution.

Saudi Railways Organization general president Dr. Rumaih bin Muhammad Al-Rumaih said since the launch of Saudi Vision 2030, the organisation has extended to 19 cities and governorates, with public transportation services operational in 14 of them and plans in place for five more. These efforts have contributed to a reduction in urban accidents by up to 80%

The public transport network has expanded to cover over 70% of the kingdom, encompassing more than 200 cities and governorates, to help serve communities across the country, The network offers 500 daily trips across 104 routes and 259 stops, with a total length exceeding 84,903 km.

The improvements also include the introduction of more environment-friendly public transport options in the future. Such initiatives aim to find solutions tailored to the kingdom's unique characteristics while ensuring the sector's sustainability.