Saudi Arabia Railways Registers 23% Increase In Passengers In Q1 Of 2024

The Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) has registered a 23% increase in passengers in the first quarter of this year. As per the quarterly report released by SAR, over 2.7 million passengers utilised its services. Moreover, passenger train trips have surged by 3%, totaling 8,252 trips across the East Train, North Train, and Haramain Express train networks.

According to the SAR report, the volume of minerals and goods transported on its networks during the first quarter amounted to 6.34 million tons. This marks an increase of 9% compared to the same period last year. SAR also noted that this surge has reduced the number of truck trips on Saudi Arabia's roads by over 500,000. 

Dr. Bashar bin Khaled Al-Malik, CEO of SAR, stated that these results underscore the escalating demand for distinguished transportation services via railways, reported the Saudi Press Agency. The CEO also reportedly noted that Saudi Arabia Railways is progressing steadily towards achieving its national strategic goals. Dr. Bashar bin Khaled Al-Malik also added that SAR has initiated several projects during the first quarter of this year. This includes the signing of the luxury “Desert Dream” train agreement. SAR has also reportedly finalized a contract with a Swiss rail vehicle manufacturing company to procure 10 modern passenger trains for the East Train network.