Riyadh Metro to start operations this year, confirms minister

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The much-awaited Riyadh Metro will commence operations this year, said Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, Saleh Al-Jasser, confirming an earlier announcement by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC).

There is increased anticipation among residents as they watch trial runs of the metro trains across various lines for the past few months.

The minister emphasised that Riyadh Metro, in terms of scale, stands as the largest metro project globally to be constructed in a single phase.

Al-Jasser was speaking during an interview with Al-Arabiya Business, on the sidelines of the inauguration of the largest integrated logistics zone for Maersk in the Middle East at Jeddah Islamic Port.

The metro is part of the King Abdulaziz Project for Riyadh Public Transport, which aims to equip Riyadh with a public transport system that will provide all population groups with suitable public transport services, accommodating existing and future mobility needs in Riyadh.

The public transport network will create an interconnected city with: 6 metro lines; 84 metro stations; 80 bus routes; 2,860 bus stops and 842 buses.

Combined, the transport network will have a passenger capacity of 1.7 million passengers a day in the initial operation phase.

Metro network and stations

With six lines at a total length of 176 km and 84 metro stations, the metro network will cover most of the densely populated areas, public facilities, and the educational, commercial, and medical institutions. The network will be connected to King Khalid International Airport and King Abdullah Financial District, the main universities, downtown Riyadh, and the public transport center.

Metro lines

Blue line: Axis of Al-Olaya – Al-Batha – Al-Hayer roads, with a total length of 38 km.

Red line: Axis of King Abdullah Road, with a total length of 25.3 km.

Orange line: Axis of Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah Road – Prince Saad Bin Abdurrahman I Road, with a total length of 40.7 km.

Yellow line: Axis of King Khalid International Airport Road, with a total length of 29.6 km.

Green line: Axis of King Abdulaziz Road, with a total length of 12.9 km.

Violet line: Axis of Abdurrahman Bin Awf Road – Sheikh Hassan Bin Hussain Bin Ali Road, with a total length of 30 km.

Main stations

The Riyadh metro project includes four main stations located in highly populated areas and at the intersections of metro lines and the bus network. The stations provide support services such as parking lots, ticket outlets, shops, and customer service offices. The four main stations are: Qasr Al-Hukm District, King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), Western Metro Station and STC Station.