The network
The Council of Ministers approved the project on 23 April 2012, and King Salman inaugurated it on 27 November 2024. Overseen by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, the system runs on an automated, driverless operation across six lines totalling about 176 km.
The Blue line follows the al-Olaya and al-Batha axis, the Red line King Abdullah Road and the Yellow line the airport road to King Khalid International Airport. The Green line, along King Abdulaziz Road, is the only one that runs entirely underground. Blue, Yellow and Purple opened on 1 December 2024, Red and Green on 15 December, and Orange on 5 January 2025.
Stations by design
Of about 85 stations, four main stations sit where metro and bus lines meet. The Qasr al-Hukm District station was designed by Snøhetta and the King Abdullah Financial District station by Zaha Hadid Architects; solar cells supply 20 percent of each station's electricity. Initial capacity is about 1.2 million passengers, rising to 3.6 million after ten years.
The longest line is the Orange, at 40.7 km, followed by the Blue at 38 km, of which 17.3 km runs underground. The Purple line covers 30 km with ten stations, and five interchange stations allow passengers to switch between lines.