GASTAT Reports Significant 33% Increase In Railway Passengers In Saudi Arabia For 2023

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) has released the railway transport statistics bulletin for 2023. It highlights a notable rise in railway passengers, reaching 30.3 million, which is a 33% increase from the previous year. This growth reflects the expanding use of railways for both intracity and intercity travel across Saudi Arabia.

According to the report, intracity passengers accounted for 72.5% of the total, travelling over one million kilometres. Intercity passengers made up 27.5%, completing 31,700 trips that covered a combined distance of 10.4 million kilometres in 2023.

Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) reported conducting 5,200 freight train trips, covering a distance of 4.03 million kilometres. SAR operates two main freight routes: North and East. Together, these routes transported over 14.3 million tons of freight, marking a 5.6% increase compared to the previous year.

The North line was responsible for carrying most of the cargo, accounting for 94.3% of the total freight, equivalent to 13.5 million tons. Meanwhile, SAR's East route focused on container shipments and transported over 699,000 TEUs, reflecting a growth of 3.7% from last year.

The bulletin detailed that there are now 15 intercity passenger railway stations in operation. These stations provide a total of 18,359 seats and are serviced by 93 passenger locomotives and 559 coach cars.

In addition to passenger services, there are also 12 freight railway stations equipped with 158 freight locomotives and 3,341 wagons dedicated to cargo transport. This infrastructure supports the increasing demand for both passenger and freight rail services.

Railway Network Expansion

The report also highlighted that the total length of intercity passenger railway lines is now at 3,064 kilometres. The electrified intracity passenger railway lines measure a total length of 61.7 kilometres.

The number of intracity passenger stations stands at 25 according to the bulletin. This expansion indicates ongoing development in Saudi Arabia's railway network to accommodate growing transportation needs.

This comprehensive data underscores significant advancements in Saudi Arabia's railway sector in terms of both passenger numbers and freight capacity over the past year.

With inputs from SPA