Saudi trains carry over 38 million passengers in Q2 2026

The Transport General Authority has announced that more than 38 million passengers traveled on Saudi Arabia’s railways in the second quarter of 2026. The volume of freight transported, including minerals and other goods, reached 3.7 million tons, while 47,000 standard containers were shipped during the same period.

Trains are considered a key pillar for passenger and freight transport, helping to improve mobility within and between cities, reduce traffic congestion, enhance quality of life, support environmental sustainability, boost economic development, and strengthen connections between cities and provinces across the Kingdom.

According to the authority’s report, urban rail services carried 36 million passengers. Of these, 29.7 million used the Riyadh Metro, 1.9 million traveled on the Mashair Train, around 3.9 million used the automated people mover at King Abdulaziz International Airport, and the automated train at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University served 635,000 passengers, reflecting growing demand for urban rail transport.

The authority added that the Haramain High-Speed Railway, which connects Makkah and Madinah via Jeddah, King Abdulaziz International Airport, and King Abdullah Economic City, transported 1.6 million passengers.

It also reported that the Eastern Train, linking Riyadh with the Eastern Province via Al-Hofuf and Abqaiq to Dammam, carried 389,000 passengers, while the Northern Train, connecting Riyadh, Al-Majma’ah, Al-Qassim, Hail, Al-Jouf, and Al-Qurayyat, transported about 246,000 passengers.

On the freight side, the authority stated that SAR Northern Line trains moved 3.3 million tons of cargo, while SAR Eastern Line trains carried 396,000 tons. In addition, 47,000 standard containers were shipped, underscoring the role of rail freight in improving supply chain efficiency, enhancing logistics links between ports and economic zones, and supporting economic activity across the Kingdom.