Riyadh Metro Orders 94 New Trains in SAR 5.5 Billion Expansion

The Royal Commission for Riyadh City has signed contracts worth around SAR 5.5 billion to purchase 94 additional trains for the Riyadh Metro, increasing the fleet from 183 to 277 and expanding overall passenger capacity by 60%.

Siemens and Alstom will manufacture the new trains, including onboard systems, equipment and associated services. Deliveries will begin in phases in 2028, with the additional units distributed across the network’s six lines according to passenger demand and projected ridership.

Capacity increases will vary by route. The Red Line is expected to gain 142%, the Yellow Line 116% and the Blue Line 60%, while capacity on the Orange and Purple lines will rise by 27% and 16% respectively. Daily capacity on the Blue Line is set to increase from around 340,000 to 533,000 passengers, while the Red Line will rise from 154,000 to 370,000 and the Yellow Line from 133,000 to more than 288,000.

Royal Commission for Riyadh City CEO Ibrahim Al-Sultan said the metro has carried more than 300 million passengers since operations began, with average ridership rising around 25% between January and September 2026 compared with the same period last year. Total journeys across Riyadh’s metro and bus network are approaching 500 million, including more than 20 million journeys made by school and university students.

The expansion is intended to meet growing public transport demand ahead of Expo 2030 Riyadh and the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Work is also progressing on an extension of the Red Line from King Saud University to Diriyah, which will add five stations.