Dubai: Dubai: Saudi Arabia has announced a SR5.5 billion expansion of Riyadh Metro, adding 94 trains to increase passenger capacity by 60 per cent as the capital prepares to host Expo 2030 and the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) said it had awarded contracts to German engineering group Siemens and French rail manufacturer Alstom, increasing the metro fleet from 183 to 277 trains.
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Deliveries will begin in phases in 2028, with the new trains undergoing testing before entering service across the network's six lines according to passenger demand.
The Red Line will record the largest capacity increase at 142 per cent, followed by the Yellow Line at 116 per cent and the Blue Line at 60 per cent. Capacity on the Orange and Purple lines will rise by 27 per cent and 16 per cent, respectively.
Daily passenger capacity on the Blue Line will increase from 340,000 to 533,000, while the Red Line will accommodate 370,000 passengers, up from 154,000.
The Yellow Line's capacity will more than double to over 288,000 passengers daily.
RCRC Chief Executive Ibrahim Al Sultan said the metro had carried more than 300 million passengers since operations began, with average ridership rising 25 per cent between January and September 2026 compared with a year earlier.
Combined metro and bus journeys are approaching 500 million, including more than 20 million trips by school and university students.
An RCRC survey found that 83 per cent of metro passengers use the network daily. Al Sultan also announced progress on extending the Red Line from King Saud University to Diriyah, adding five stations.
Meanwhile, Riyadh is advancing a 700km road development programme covering more than 330 intersections, over 300 bridges and 80 tunnels.
The commission is also upgrading traffic signals at 720 intersections and implementing improvements at 26 critical locations.
Under the Green Riyadh programme, more than 4.5 million trees have been planted across the capital.