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Asharq Al-Awsat Tours Riyadh Metro on First Day of its Launch

Riyadh residents ride the Riyadh Metro on its launch day on Sunday. (Turky al-Agili)
Riyadh residents ride the Riyadh Metro on its launch day on Sunday. (Turky al-Agili)
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Asharq Al-Awsat Tours Riyadh Metro on First Day of its Launch

Riyadh residents ride the Riyadh Metro on its launch day on Sunday. (Turky al-Agili)
Riyadh residents ride the Riyadh Metro on its launch day on Sunday. (Turky al-Agili)

“Big achievements take time,” remarked university student Ahmed Al-Omari quoting a Saudi proverb as the Riyadh Metro officially began operations, opening three lines to passengers on Sunday morning. This long-anticipated mega-project is a significant milestone in advancing infrastructure to meet the needs of Riyadh’s rapidly growing population.

The proverb underscores that delays often reflect the scale and ambition of a project rather than inefficiency. After 11 years and a $22 billion investment, the Riyadh Metro, one of the largest transit systems in the Middle East, is now a reality, featuring six main lines spanning the city.

The metro boasts six lines extending 176 kilometers, making it the world’s longest driverless metro system. With 85 stations, including four major hubs, it has a daily capacity to serve 3.6 million passengers.

“I was worried about parking, but it turned out to be convenient and located right at the station,” said commuter Khuloud Al-Amri. The metro system provides 21 public parking facilities, each accommodating between 200 and 600 vehicles, to facilitate access. Additionally, 19 other parking sites with similar capacities are available across the network, along with seven maintenance and overnight facilities at its edges.

The Riyadh Metro offers the lowest transportation cost among G20 nations relative to daily income, according to Maher Shira, Director General of Smart Cities at the Royal Commission for Riyadh. Fares amount to just 0.5% of the average daily income of SAR 733 (approximately $195), compared to 0.9% in Türkiye and 1–3% in other G20 countries.

“My commute typically takes 30 to 45 minutes. I hope the metro will reduce this time,” said Hatem Al-Fawaz, one of the metro’s first passengers on launch day.

Environmentally, the metro aligns with Riyadh’s green initiatives. Existing city buses already use low-sulfur fuel, making them among the world’s most eco-friendly.

The metro further contributes by reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality, according to the Royal Commission. It also helps mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and urban heat through sustainable transport options.

The Riyadh Metro is expected to alleviate traffic congestion by 30%, marking a transformative step toward sustainable urban mobility and a better quality of life for residents.

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COP16 Riyadh Gathers Policymakers to Combat Desertification, Restore Land

Saudi Arabia’s Environment Minister Abdulrahman Al-Fadli assumes the Kingdom’s presidency of COP16 in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia’s Environment Minister Abdulrahman Al-Fadli assumes the Kingdom’s presidency of COP16 in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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COP16 Riyadh Gathers Policymakers to Combat Desertification, Restore Land

Saudi Arabia’s Environment Minister Abdulrahman Al-Fadli assumes the Kingdom’s presidency of COP16 in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia’s Environment Minister Abdulrahman Al-Fadli assumes the Kingdom’s presidency of COP16 in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Policymakers, international organizations, companies, NGOs and key stakeholders gathered in Riyadh on Monday to address global challenges like land degradation, drought, and desertification at the 16th United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP16).

Saudi Arabia was elected president of COP16 during the opening session, beginning a two-year term to lead efforts in land restoration and fighting desertification.

The COP16 summit in Riyadh came as an opportunity to highlight the vital link between land, oceans, and climate, noting that 75% of freshwater comes from cultivated land, while plants protect 80% of global soil.

Saudi Arabia’s Environment Minister Abdulrahman Al-Fadli said hosting the event reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to environmental efforts. He warned that over 100 million hectares of land degrade each year, affecting 3 billion people and costing the global economy more than $6 trillion annually.

Environmental challenges

Saudi Arabia is ramping up efforts under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to address major environmental challenges and strengthen synergies with other global agreements, including the Rio Conventions on climate change and biodiversity, Al-Fadli stressed.

He highlighted that the Middle East is one of the regions most affected by land degradation, drought, and desertification. Saudi Arabia, he said, is working closely with international partners to tackle these issues.

To achieve its goals, the government has adopted a National Environmental Strategy, created a dedicated fund and five specialized centers, updated regulations to align with global standards, and launched initiatives to curb pollution, boost vegetation cover and improve waste management and climate research.

The minister also pointed to the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims to rehabilitate 40 million hectares of degraded land and expand protected areas to cover 30% of the Kingdom by 2030. This ambitious target was announced in 2021, more than a year before the global goal was set in Montreal in late 2022.

Renewable energy

Saudi Arabia is also working to generate 50% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030 and cut carbon dioxide emissions, Al-Fadli said. The Kingdom has adopted a National Water Strategy to preserve resources and launched recycling projects to promote sustainability.

Al-Fadli noted that Saudi Arabia has also introduced a National Agricultural Strategy to improve production efficiency and sustainably manage farmland, along with a National Food Security Strategy aimed at reducing food loss and waste.

He warned that biodiversity loss and the worsening effects of climate change threaten basic life necessities such as air, water, and food, impacting over 1.8 billion people globally and driving higher migration rates. He emphasized the need for unified international efforts to confront these global challenges.

He added that the UN Convention to Combat Desertification provides a framework for collective action and global collaboration.

Saudi Arabia, he said, is committed to restoring degraded land, expanding green spaces and fostering innovation for sustainable solutions.

The Kingdom also aims to strengthen partnerships among governments, the private sector, local communities, and NGOs, while adopting binding tools to bolster international cooperation.

Moreover, Saudi Arabia unveiled three major initiatives at COP16 to address drought, backed by over $150 million to boost global preparedness.

The Kingdom also introduced an observatory and an atlas, aiming to improve monitoring, prevention, and awareness of drought worldwide.

A UN report released ahead of the summit highlighted the growing crisis of land degradation, linking unsustainable farming to 80% of deforestation, 70% of freshwater use, and nearly a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions. It also classified 46% of global land as dry, stressing the need for urgent action.