Credit: Getty Images
Riyadh Metro officially opened this week to passengers as part of a soft launch of its Blue (1), Yellow (4), and Purple (6) lines.
Currently, these lines connect Al Orouba to Batha, King Khalid International Airport Road, and the intersection of Abdulrahman Bin Auf Street and Sheikh Hassan Bin Hussein Street.
The phased rollout of the $22.5bn project will continue over the next two months, with the Red Line (2) and Green Line (5) opening on December 15, and the Orange Line (3) on January 5, 2025.
Altogether, Riyadh Metro will span six lines, covering 176km and 85 stations.
For those planning a trip on the network, ticket prices are divided into four categories:
- Two-hour journey: SAR 4
- Three-day ticket: SAR 20
- One-week ticket: SAR 40
- 30-day ticket: SAR 140
Commuters can purchase tickets through the Darb app, available on Apple and Android devices. The app enables users to plan journeys across metro and bus lines, buy QR code-based tickets, and access features like live bus tracking and “bus on demand” services for first and last-mile connectivity.
The metro also integrates with the Riyadh Bus Project, which covers 1,900km. Together, they form the backbone of the city’s public transport system.
Key features of the network include:
- 183 driverless trains
- 19 Park & Ride facilities
- Capacity for 3.6 million passengers
- Built by 3 consortia of 19 global companies from 13 countries, including the USA, France, Spain, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and the UK
- Over 65,000 employees involved at the peak of construction
- 33,000 km of cables and service pipes, equivalent to the distance from Riyadh to New York three times
- Excavation outputs of 71 million m³, equal to the volume of 65 Faisaliah Towers
- Reinforcement steel used: 745,000 tons, equivalent to the weight of 106 Eiffel Towers
Details of the metro lines:
- Blue Line (Line 1): Olaya to Batha Street, 38 km
- Red Line (Line 2): King Abdullah Road, 25.1 km
- Orange Line (Line 3): Medina Road to Prince Saad bin Abdulrahman Al-Awwal, 41.1 km
- Yellow Line (Line 4): King Khalid International Airport, 29.7 km
- Green Line (Line 5): King Abdulaziz Road, 13.3 km
- Purple Line (Line 6): Abdulrahman Bin Auf Street to Sheikh Hassan Bin Hussein Bin Ali, 28.8 km
