Riyadh: Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) has announced its most prominent operational figures for 2023, including figures for the first time in the history of the Kingdom’s railways, where the number of passengers on Saudi Railways trains exceeded 11.2 million across east and north networks, the Haramain High-Speed Rail (HHR) and the Holy Sites Train during the year, marking an increase of 55% compared to 2022.
The report indicated that the number of passenger train trips on SAR networks increased by 25% compared to 2022, bringing the total number of trips to over 32,000.
SAR noted that the volume of minerals and cargo transported through its networks during 2023 exceeded 24.7 million tons, up by 6% compared with 2022, which contributed to the relocation of more than two million truck trips off highways, reducing fuel consumption in the Kingdom by more than three million barrels, and reducing carbon emissions.
SAR CEO Dr. Bashar Al-Malik said that the positive results achieved by the company in 2023 reflect the considerable and unlimited support of the wise leadership and stress the company’s commitment to working at an upward pace consistent with its strategic objectives.
He added that these historical figures and extraordinary successes are the result of effective strategic planning, adopting the latest technologies in the rail transport sector and building sustainable partnerships with successful public and private partners, which contributed to increased quality of services provided and increased operational efficiency.