Saudi Arabia’s railways carried more than 40.9 million passengers in the third quarter of 2026, according to a quarterly report by the Transport General Authority (TGA).
The network also moved 3.9 million tons of freight and 46,300 containers in the July to September period, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
Passenger numbers rose from the same period last year, which the authority said reflected growing demand for rail travel. It did not give a growth rate.
Intra-city services carried 38.3 million passengers. The Riyadh Metro accounted for 30.4 million of them.
The automated train at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah carried 7 million passengers, up from 3.9 million in the second quarter, according to Arab News. The Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University line in Riyadh carried about 911,200.
Intercity services carried more than 2.5 million passengers.
The Haramain High Speed Railway, which links Makkah and Madinah via Jeddah, King Abdulaziz International Airport and King Abdullah Economic City, carried more than 1.9 million. That compared with 1.6 million in the second quarter.
Saudi Arabia Railways’ Eastern Network, which connects Riyadh, Abqaiq, Hofuf and Dammam, carried about 393,900 passengers. Its Northern Network, which links Riyadh with Al-Majmaah, Qassim, Hail, Al-Jouf and Al-Qurayyat, carried 258,600.
Freight volume rose from 3.7 million tons in the second quarter, when rail passenger journeys totaled more than 38 million.
Saudi rail passenger numbers rose 266.5% to about 156.4 million in 2025, with intra-city ridership up 368%, according to figures from the General Authority for Statistics.
