Saudi Arabia Eyes 100,000 Railway Jobs by 2030

Saudi Arabia is aiming to raise employment in its railway transport sector to about 100,000 jobs by 2030, up from around 13,000 jobs in 2026, The target forms part of the wider National Transport and Logistics Strategy.

The 100,000-jobs goal is an overall sector employment target that spans passenger and freight rail operations, maintenance, infrastructure expansion, manufacturing, and related logistics roles. Employment in the railway sector has already more than doubled over the past four years, reflecting the ongoing growth of the rail network and projects delivered under Vision 2030.

Much of the expected job growth is tied to physical expansion of the network. Under the National Transport and Logistics Strategy and the Asasat rail program, the rail network is set to grow to more than 8,000 km by 2030, up from roughly 5,000 to 5,500 km in the mid-2020s. Separate investment initiatives, including a SAR 15 billion rail expansion and localization program launched in the mid-2020s, are projected to create around 3,000 additional rail-related jobs, contributing to but not fully accounting for the overall target.

Rail is a key component of the broader transport and logistics agenda, which aims to create around 200,000 direct transport and logistics jobs and to raise total logistics sector employment from about 280,000 to 600,000 jobs by 2030.

For residents and expats, the plan signals expanding career opportunities across operations, engineering, maintenance, and manufacturing as the network grows. As of August 2026, there are no published details on specific application fees, step-by-step hiring steps, or mandatory digital platforms for rail-sector recruitment; hiring is handled through standard government and private-sector channels and may vary by employer and project.

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