RIYADH -- There has been 40.9 percent increase in the number of train passengers reaching approximately 42.7 million during the year 2024 compared to 2023, according to the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).

Data from the 2024 railway transport statistics issued by GASTAT showed that the intra-city trains accounted for the largest percentage of passengers, reaching 72.8 percent, while inter-city train passengers accounted for 27.2 percent.

Passengers traveled a distance exceeding 12.5 million kilometers across 35,600 trips during the year. The fourth quarter of 2024 recorded the highest percentage in terms of the number of passengers transported, accounting for 36.7 percent of the annual total.

Regarding freight transport, the data indicated that the total volume of freight transported via railways reached approximately 15.6 million tons, a 9 percent increase compared to 2023. These goods were transported via 6,807 train trips covering a distance of approximately 6.3 million kilometers. Bauxite topped the list of transported goods, accounting for 33.7 percent, followed by phosphates with 30.7 percent, and phosphoric acid with 14.2 percent.

The data indicated that the highest percentage of freight transport was recorded in the third quarter of the year, accounting for 28.5 percent of the total volume of transportation.

The number of containers transported reached approximately 887,900 standard containers, a 27 percent increase compared to the previous year.

Regarding railway infrastructure, the number of intercity passenger stations reached 15 stations, containing 93 locomotives and 673 cars, a 20.4 percent increase over 2023.

The number of freight stations reached 12 stations, containing 175 locomotives and 3,384 cars, a 10.8 percent increase.

The number of intra-city train stations reached 110 stations in 2024.

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