Skip to main content

Riyadh aims to build world’s biggest public transport system in five years

The City of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is building the world's largest public transit system --- in just five years. It will be presenting the project at the Palais des Congrès, in Montreal, Quebec, during the global summit of the Union Internationale des Transports Publics (UITP), this week. Managed by The High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh (HCDA), the project includes six metro lines covering 176 km and 85 stations, in addition to 24 bus routes covering 1,900 km and 3,000 stations and stops. At a
May 15, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
The City of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is building the world's largest public transit system --- in just five years. It will be presenting the project at the Palais des Congrès, in Montreal, Quebec, during the global summit of the Union Internationale des Transports Publics (UITP), this week.


Managed by The High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh (HCDA), the project includes six metro lines covering 176 km and 85 stations, in addition to 24 bus routes covering 1,900 km and 3,000 stations and stops. At a total cost of US$27 billion, it is Saudi Arabia's first public transportation network and the largest infrastructure project worldwide.

Riyadh's population of 6.5 million today is expected to reach 8.3 million by 2030. Its streets currently handle 9 million car trips daily, increasing the need for a public transit network.

For its rolling stock, HCDA commissioned three different global manufacturers: 189 Siemens, 513 Bombardier and 8158 Alstom.  1685 Mercedes Benz and 267 MAN will provide its fleet of buses.

Construction of the project will finish at the end of 2018. Testing of the service will start simultaneously in the last quarter of the same year, with the objective to begin service to the public in the second half of 2019.

Related Content

  • October 2, 2014
    TRL pledges support for global initiative at UN Climate Summit
    The UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL)’s chief executive Rob Wallis, attending the United Nations Climate Summit in New York last week, was delighted to be able to pledge TRL’s support to the UEMI initiative, by UN-Habitat. “The UEMI initiative, aimed at substantially increasing the adoption of electric vehicles within urban environments, aligns strongly with TRL’s own strategy and current activities,” Wallis explained. “TRL is actively engaged in leading innovative research programmes to understan
  • February 26, 2020
    Siemens: self-driving minibuses are the future of first-/last-mile
    Markus Schlitt, CEO of intelligent traffic systems at Siemens Mobility, talks to ITS International about safety and why it is important for cities to offer additional shared and connected transit options.
  • August 20, 2024
    '190,000 trips' on day 1 of Sydney Metro extension
    15.5km extension means 2,645 new metro services will travel through city each week
  • July 18, 2018
    Siemens and Alstrom ‘still firm competitors’ despite impending merger
    Despite next year’s merger, Alstom are currently ‘still firm competitors’, insisted Siemens Mobility’s CEO Gordon Wakeford. Through the agreement, Siemens Mobility will combine its rail traction and drive business with Alstom. The Siemens subsidiary has also won a contract with Transport for London (TfL) to upgrade the algorithms and systems which control traffic in London. “Once that's done we can upgrade traffic controls throughout the UK and work with TfL in exporting that around the world,” Wakef