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Riyadh Seeks to Ease Traffic Congestion by Launching Metro Project

The Riyadh Metro project covers six main lines with a total length of 176 kilometers and 84 stations. (King Abdulaziz Project for Public Transport)
The Riyadh Metro project covers six main lines with a total length of 176 kilometers and 84 stations. (King Abdulaziz Project for Public Transport)
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Riyadh Seeks to Ease Traffic Congestion by Launching Metro Project

The Riyadh Metro project covers six main lines with a total length of 176 kilometers and 84 stations. (King Abdulaziz Project for Public Transport)
The Riyadh Metro project covers six main lines with a total length of 176 kilometers and 84 stations. (King Abdulaziz Project for Public Transport)

Saudi Arabia is preparing to launch the “Riyadh Metro” project, one of the largest public transportation projects in the region, which promises to improve the quality of life for residents by reducing traffic congestion and air pollution.

Minister of Transport and Logistics Eng. Saleh Al-Jasser recently announced that the landmark Riyadh Metro is in its final stages and nearing completion.

In 2013, the government awarded contracts worth $22.5 billion to three international consortia led by some of the world’s largest railway manufacturers to design and build Riyadh’s first metro network. The main network for the Riyadh Bus system was completed in Sept. 2023, serving as a crucial feeder to the metro system through 54 routes and 2,145 stations and stops spread across the capital.

The Riyadh Metro consists of a network of six main lines spanning the city, aiming to connect vital areas and facilitate daily commutes for the city’s 7.5 million residents. As the capital aims to double its population by 2030, the government recently allocated SAR 6 billion ($1.6 billion) to improve the city’s infrastructure, a figure four times higher than previous contracts, according to the Riyadh Municipality.

The Riyadh Metro project covers six main lines with a total length of 176 kilometers and 84 stations. The metro network is also connected to King Khalid International Airport, the King Abdullah Financial District, major universities, downtown Riyadh, and the public transport center, according to the Royal Commission for Riyadh City.

The six routes of the Riyadh Metro network are:

1. Line 1 (Blue Line): Al-Olaya - Batha - Al-Ha’ir axis, 38 km long.

2. Line 2 (Red Line): King Abdullah Road, 25.3 km long.

3. Line 3 (Orange Line): Madinah Road - Prince Saad bin Abdulrahman Al-Awal axis, 40.7 km long.

4. Line 4 (Yellow Line): King Khalid International Airport axis, 29.6 km long.

5. Line 5 (Green Line): King Abdulaziz Road axis, 12.9 km long.

6. Line 6 (Purple Line): Abdulrahman bin Awf Road - Sheikh Hassan bin Hussein bin Ali Road axis, 30 km long.

Ticket prices

The cost of a ticket for the Riyadh Bus, the main feeder for the Riyadh Metro, is 4 riyals ($1.07) and is valid for two hours, starting from the first check-in on a bus or by activating the ticket through the app.

The same ticket can be used to transfer to another bus within this time. Children up to six years old can ride for free, while metro ticket prices have not yet been announced.

Infrastructure

The public transport project includes 21 public parking areas, each accommodating between 200 and 600 cars, to facilitate the use of the metro network. These parking spots are distributed to make transfers easier.

In September, the Riyadh Municipality signed five contracts worth SAR 6 billion to improve road quality, representing four times the value of previous contracts. Additionally, SAR 70 billion ($18.6 billion) has been allocated to improve the road network in Riyadh, as previously announced by Minister Al-Jasser during the Smart Cities Conference in May.

Eco-friendly

Environmentally, Riyadh’s buses use low-sulfur fuel, making them among the most eco-friendly vehicles, contributing significantly to reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality, according to the Royal Commission for Riyadh City.

The metro network will also play an active role in reducing harmful greenhouse gases and mitigating rising temperatures in the city by providing sustainable transportation options. This effort aligns with broader goals to improve the quality of life for residents and visitors and create a healthy environment for all.

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Business

IMF Urges US to Curb Deficit, Tackle its ‘Ever-Increasing’ Debt Burden

Gita Gopinath, IMF’s first deputy managing director (X) 
Gita Gopinath, IMF’s first deputy managing director (X) 
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IMF Urges US to Curb Deficit, Tackle its ‘Ever-Increasing’ Debt Burden

Gita Gopinath, IMF’s first deputy managing director (X) 
Gita Gopinath, IMF’s first deputy managing director (X) 

A top IMF official has called on the US to reduce its fiscal deficit and tackle its “ever-increasing” debt burden at a time of rising concerns about President Donald Trump’s plans for sweeping tax cuts.

“The US fiscal deficits are too large and they need to be brought down,” Gita Gopinath, the IMF’s first deputy managing director, told the Financial Times this week.

She also warned that the world’s biggest economy was still affected by “very elevated” trade policy uncertainty despite “positive developments”, such as the Trump administration dialing back tariffs on China.

Gopinath’s comments came after Moody’s stripped the US of its last remaining pristine triple A credit rating owing to concerns over the country’s growing debt.

Trump’s proposal to prolong his 2017 tax cuts beyond this year has added to those worries and prompted unease among investors.

The administration says the cuts — combined with deregulation — will pay for themselves with higher growth, but neither Moody’s nor financial markets are convinced.

The rating agency said last week that the proposed legislation, which Trump calls “the big, beautiful bill”, would raise US deficits from 6.4% last year to just under 9% by 2035.

Treasury secretary Scott Bessent told NBC on Sunday that the Moody’s downgrade was “a lagging indicator”, blaming the fiscal situation on the Biden administration.

He added that the administration was “determined to bring the spending down and grow the economy.”

Bessent previously said he would cut the deficit to 3% by the end of Trump’s term.

But Gopinath noted that US debt to GDP was “ever-increasing”, adding: “It should be that we have fiscal policy in the US that is consistent with bringing debt to GDP down over time.”

The federal government debt held by the public amounted to 98% of GDP in fiscal 2024, compared with 73% a decade earlier, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Although the IMF said last month that it expected the US fiscal deficit to fall this year as long as tariff revenues grew, those projections did not account for Trump’s tax bill, which is winding its way through Congress.

Gopinath added that Bessent had been right to make a “clear call” to bring down fiscal deficits.

Trump is pressuring Republicans in the House of Representatives, where he has a slim majority, to support the legislation, arguing that doing otherwise would increase voters’ tax bills.

Deficit worries and Moody’s downgrade have driven the dollar lower and pushed prices down and yields up in the Treasury market.

The 30-year Treasury bond yield on Monday rose to 5.04%, its highest level since 2023.

A bigger deficit means the government will have to sell more bonds at a time when foreign and domestic investors have begun to question the stability of the US market.

The IMF in April cut its US growth forecast by nearly a percentage point to 1.8 per cent in 2025, while dropping its global growth projection to 2.8%, as it incorporated the impact of Trump’s tariffs.

Since then, Trump has announced sharp cuts to American levies, as China and the US agreed to slash respective tariffs by 115 percentage points for 90 days.