SAR reports Q3 passenger and freight volumes

21 Oct 2026 · Riyadh

StatusReported in a quarterly report released by the Transport General Authority.

Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) carried more than 40.9 million passengers in the third quarter of 2026. It also transported 3.9 million tons of freight and 46,300 containers, according to a quarterly report released by the Transport General Authority (TGA).

Passenger numbers rose compared with the same period last year. The TGA said the increase reflected growing demand for rail travel in the Kingdom.

Intra-city rail services carried 38.3 million passengers. Riyadh Metro accounted for 30.4 million, while the King Abdulaziz International Airport Automated Train carried seven million.

The Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University line carried about 911,200 passengers. These figures form part of the reported intra-city total.

Intercity services carried more than 2.5 million passengers. The Haramain High Speed Railway, linking Makkah and Madinah via Jeddah, King Abdulaziz International Airport and King Abdullah Economic City, carried over 1.9 million.

SAR’s Eastern Network served about 393,900 passengers. It connects Riyadh, Abqaiq, Hofuf and Dammam.

The Northern Network carried 258,600 passengers. Its route links Riyadh, Al-Majmaah, Qassim, Hail, Al-Jouf and Al-Qurayyat.

Why this mattersFor Madinah, the reported Haramain ridership provides a concrete indicator of passenger use on the rail link connecting the city with Makkah and Jeddah. As an inference, developers assessing hospitality or mixed-use projects near relevant stations can use the figures as demand context, while treating them as network-wide quarterly traffic rather than a forecast for any individual site.

Key figuresQ3 2026 · more than 40.9 million passengers · 3.9 million tons of freight · 46,300 containers · 38.3 million intra-city passengers · 30.4 million Riyadh Metro passengers · seven million airport train passengers · about 911,200 university line passengers · more than 2.5 million intercity passengers · over 1.9 million Haramain passengers · about 393,900 Eastern Network passengers · 258,600 Northern Network passengers

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