The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia represents 70 percent of the Arabian Peninsula's area, and its railway system is one of the safe forms of land transportation. It has played a vital role in connecting different provinces, facilitating freight transport, and carrying passengers and travelers from one province to another.
Riyadh - Dammam Railway
Established in 1947 by an order of the founding King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, it was the first railway in the Kingdom. It spans 550 km, connecting Riyadh with Dammam Port, with the aim of transporting passengers and imported goods to the capital. The railway was officially inaugurated in 1951 and operated for both passenger and freight transport until 1985, when a new railway was established to transport passengers, leaving this one dedicated solely to freight.
Riyadh - Dammam Second Railway
The railway was established in 1985 to transport passengers via al-Ahsa, covering a distance of 450 km. The train journey now takes approximately three hundred minutes, shortening the previous travel time of 420 minutes.
North Train Railway
It connects the northern region of the Kingdom with its central and eastern regions, with a length of 2,750 km. Its route is divided into two lines. The first line consists of the mining railway that links the phosphate mining areas in the Northern Borders Province and the bauxite mining areas in Qassim and Hail Provinces to the export and manufacturing hubs in Ras al-Khair in the Eastern Province. This line spans 1,500 km and commenced operations in 2011. The second line is devoted to passengers and freight transport, with a length of 1,250 km. It connects Riyadh with the Jordanian border via al-Hadithah border crossing, passing through Qassim, Hail, and Sudayr, with six train stations established along the route. This railway intersects with the Mining Railway south of the main line and diverges from it between Qassim and Hail Provinces. It was partially operational at the beginning of 2017.
Al-Mashaaer al-Mugaddassah Metro Line
It connects the Holy Sites through nine stations, spanning twenty km. The project was launched in 2009 and became fully operational by 2011. This railway transports seventy thousand pilgrims per hour.
Haramain High-Speed Railway
It connects Makkah al-Mukarramah and al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, spanning 449 km. It is electrically powered and features a double track with two lanes between Jeddah and Makkah al-Mukarramah. This railway was officially inaugurated in 2017, with five stations along the route.
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