
27/08/2025
Riyadh’s metro just pulled off a headline moment, welcoming its 100 millionth passenger in less than nine months. The city’s sleek, driverless train network has gone from futuristic promise to everyday essential faster than most of us expected.
The numbers tell the story. The Blue Line along Olaya Road takes the crown with over 46 million riders. The Red Line on King Abdullah Road accounts for 17 million, while the Orange Line adds another 12 million. The remaining three lines bring the total over the 100 million mark with ease.
Performance has been just as impressive. With an on-time rate above 99 percent, the metro is delivering reliability that commuters can actually plan their days around. It has turned major stations into mini landmarks in their own right, with Qasr Al-Hukm, the Financial Center, STC, and the National Museum stops moving nearly a third of all traffic.
What makes this milestone bigger than just a number is the way it reflects a shift in how Riyadh moves. The metro isn’t an isolated system. It’s connected to a growing network of buses and transport links that allow residents to ditch traffic, hop on a train, and glide through the city.
This is more than transport infrastructure. It’s a glimpse of Riyadh’s future urban rhythm, where public transit is as much a part of daily life as morning coffee. The first 100 million rides are in the books, and the next hundred million are already on the horizon.