Riyadh's driverless metro to open three lines this week

The project will span 176km, transporting more than three million people once complete

For a total of €1.5 billion, Siemens will supply a turnkey rail system for two driverless metro lines in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. Photo: Siemens AG

The metro will be connected to an expanded bus network and is expected to open by 2024. Photo: Zaha Hadid Architects

Arriyadh Development Authority has launched a naming rights programme for 15 stations. Photo: Parsons

A station in the Riyadh Metro system. Photo: Zaha Hadid Architects

The six metro lines will serve as the backbone for public transport in Riyadh. Photo: Zaha Hadid Architects

A train leaves on a test drive to the King Abdullah Financial District station in the Saudi capital. AFP

A map of the Riyadh Metro system. EPA

The metro is expected to boost the value of real estate in the Saudi capital because of transport connectivity to secondary locations. Reuters

Construction workers working in a tunnel at the Riyadh Metro project. Reuters

A worker walks past a poster at a metro construction site. AFP

A construction site at the Riyadh Metro. AFP

The Riyadh Metro is set to contain six lines of driverless trains. Photo: PRNewsFoto / Bechtel

It will cover 176km of the city and have 85 stations. AFP

A train on one of the track lines of the Riyadh Metro network. AFP

Trains on the track lines of the metro network. AFP

A train terminal under construction. AFP

A train terminal under construction in Riyadh. AFP

Line 3, the Red Line, will run from Madina Al Munawra to Rahman Al Awal Road. AFP

Saudi Arabia is spending billions of dollars annually on roads, ports, airports, hospitals and schools. AFP

A construction site on the Riyadh Metro. Reuters

Line 5, the Yellow Line, will start from King Abdul Aziz Road. AFP

The first phase of the driverless Riyadh metro will open on Wednesday, with three of its six lines available for commuters, the project's official page on social media platform X announced on Saturday.

In October, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Transport and Logistics, Saleh bin Nasser AI Jasser, said the project was in its "final phases" and was undergoing tests.

Once fully operational, the Riyadh metro is expected to be the largest in the world to be completed in a single phase and is expected to boost the value of commercial and residential real estate in the Saudi capital, especially in areas where it is immediately accessible.

In its first phase, the metro will cater for up to 1.2 million passengers a day, and more than twice that figure once completed, spanning a total of 176km and 84 stations.

A map of the six lines for the Riyadh metro – three of which are set to open on Wednesday in the project's first phase. Courtesy: Royal Commission for Riyadh City

"The metro network will cover most of the densely populated areas, public facilities, and the educational, commercial and medical institutions," the project's website reads.

"The network will be connected to King Khalid International Airport and King Abdullah Financial District, the main universities, downtown Riyadh, and the public transport centre."

It will also include 80 bus routes and pass through 2,860 stops with 842 buses.

The transport network aims to keep up with Riyadh's growing population, which is expected to reach 15 to 20 million by 2030, from 7.5 million in 2023.