Saudi Trains Carry Over 38 Million Riders in Q2 2026

More than 38 million passengers traveled by train across Saudi Arabia during the second quarter of 2026, an increase of about 4% compared with the same period a year earlier,

The bulk of the traffic came from within-city services, which carried around 36 million passengers. Riyadh Metro led the way with roughly 29.7 million riders, followed by the King Abdulaziz International Airport automated train in Jeddah with about 3.9 million, and the Mashair train serving the Holy Sites in Makkah with nearly 1.9 million passengers.

On intercity routes, the Haramain High-Speed Railway between Makkah and Madinah carried about 2.2 million passengers, while the East Railway Network serving northern and eastern services moved roughly 389,000 travelers during the quarter.

Rail freight was also active, with about 3.7 million tons of minerals and goods transported and around 47,000 standard containers shipped over the three months.

Why it matters

The numbers point to steady growth in how residents and visitors move around the Kingdom. Overall passenger volumes rose from about 36.5 million in the second quarter of 2025 to roughly 38 million this year. Combined with the nearly 45 million passengers recorded in the first quarter of 2026, that brings total rail ridership to more than 83 million in the first half of the year.

Fares differ from one service to another — including Riyadh Metro, Haramain, Mashair, the airport train, and intercity lines — and vary by route, class, and booking channel. For accurate ticket prices and travel details, passengers are advised to check the official channels of each operator.

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