Riyadh metro opens up to ease traffic jams, transform travel in Saudi Arabia

Here's why Riyadh’s new metro is a must-see for travellers in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia opened parts of Riyadh’s long-awaited metro system as the kingdom pushes ahead with plans to modernize the capital and ease the heavy traffic that has become a commonplace complaint in the city.

Passengers arrive at the King Abdullah Financial District Metro Station on the day of the inauguration of three of its six lines in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 1, 2024. (Photo by REUTERS/Mohammed Benmansour)

Three lines, including one to the main airport, started operations on Sunday, according to the Royal Commission for Riyadh City. Three more routes that will offer more connectivity in the heart of Riyadh are set to open gradually by Jan. 5.

The partial launch couldn’t come at a better time for Riyadh, where the difficulty of dealing with traffic often dominates conversations among those living, working and visiting. The capital has faced worsening road congestion in recent years, with vast construction underway at a time when more people are moving to Riyadh or traveling to the city for business or leisure.

The city, which is due to hold the World Expo in 2030 and may host games for the FIFA World Cup in 2034, is at the forefront of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s drive to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil.

The kingdom’s goal is to grow the Riyadh population to about 10 million by the start of the next decade, from around 8 million now, Bloomberg has reported.

Saudi Arabia is also working to transform itself into one of the world’s most visited destinations. It aims to more than double the number of travelers from abroad by 2030 to 70 million, compared with 27 million last year, and has said it plans to spend close to $1 trillion on tourism over the next decade.

Riyadh’s metro is set to have the capacity to transport more than 3.6 million passengers a day when it is completed, according to the RCRC. The project was launched in 2012 and initially set to open in 2018, but faced years of delays.

Real estate consultant Knight Frank has estimated the budgeted cost of the metro is $35 billion. The system has six lines spanning 176 kilometers (110 miles), but a seventh is planned in a later stage.