Riyadh’s public transport network has gained a major new interchange after the Royal Commission for Riyadh City began operations at Western Station on the Orange Line, completing the metro project’s four principal landmark stations.Western Station opened for passenger service on May 15, adding a large western gateway to the 176-kilometre driverless metro network serving the Saudi capital. The station sits on Line 3, the Orange Line, which runs east-west across Riyadh from the Jeddah Road area towards Khashm Al An, strengthening links between residential districts, commercial corridors and central interchange points.
The launch marks another step in the operational consolidation of Riyadh Metro after the network’s phased opening began in late 2024 and the Orange Line entered service on January 5, 2025. Line 3 stretches about 40.7 kilometres along Al Madinah Al Munawwarah Road and Prince Saad Bin Abdulrahman Al Awal Road, making it the longest of the metro’s six lines and a key route for cross-city movement.
Western Station is the largest of the four signature stations developed as architectural and transport anchors for the network. The other three are King Abdullah Financial District Station, STC Olaya Station and Qasr Al Hokm Station. Its entry into service completes that group of flagship hubs, each designed to support passenger transfers, commercial activity and urban redevelopment around key parts of the capital.
Spanning 112,000 square metres, Western Station has been built to accommodate more than 60,000 train passengers and 1,300 bus passengers per hour. The facility includes retail and commercial areas, public amenities, a sensory garden, and a mosque with space for 550 worshippers. A park-and-ride facility with capacity for more than 600 vehicles is intended to encourage commuters to shift part of their journeys from private cars to public transport.
Sustainability has been presented as a central feature of the station’s design. Western Station has received LEED Gold certification for environmental performance and efficiency, aligning it with the broader objective of reducing congestion, lowering emissions and improving mobility across a city that has expanded rapidly over the past two decades.
Riyadh Metro forms the backbone of the King Abdulaziz Project for Riyadh Public Transport, an integrated system combining metro and bus services. The metro network comprises six lines and 85 stations, with a designed daily capacity of 3.6 million passengers at full scale. Its automated operations and 176-kilometre length have also placed it among the world’s most ambitious urban rail systems.
The Orange Line’s role is particularly important because it connects districts on the western side of Riyadh with eastern corridors, while linking to other parts of the system through transfer points such as Al Naseem. The addition of Western Station gives the line a more prominent western interchange, supporting passenger flows from neighbourhoods that have long depended heavily on road transport.
Riyadh’s transport expansion is closely tied to the capital’s wider urban transformation under Saudi Vision 2030. Authorities have sought to reduce reliance on private vehicles, cut travel times, improve air quality and support higher-density development around transit nodes. The metro is also expected to support tourism, business travel and large events as Riyadh prepares for major global gatherings, including Expo 2030.
Passenger access is being supported through the Darb app, which allows users to plan journeys and buy tickets across the public transport network. The integration of metro and bus services is central to the system’s effectiveness, especially for passengers travelling from residential areas beyond walking distance of stations.
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Saudi Arabia