Photo by سيف الظاهر on Unsplash (illustrative)
On 5 January 2025, the last of the Riyadh Metro's six lines, the Orange Line, opened to passengers, completing a phased opening that began on 1 December 2024. Guinness World Records later certified it as the world's longest driverless metro network.
Key facts
The network covers 176 km with six lines and 85 stations, 47 of them underground.
It runs on 183 fully automated, driverless trains.
Initial capacity is about 1.1 million passengers a day, with a design capacity of 3.6 million.
Guinness World Records recognized it as the longest driverless metro network on 30 January 2025.
Why it matters
Riyadh is a city of wide highways where almost every trip has been made by car, often in extreme heat. A large, air-conditioned metro gives residents a new way to reach work and school, and it can ease traffic and pollution as more people switch.
Worth noting
A metro only changes daily life if people use it, and long-term ridership and its effect on car traffic will take years to judge. Many stations still depend on buses, walking in hot weather or short car trips to reach them.