The General Authority for Statistics today released the results of the Railway Transport Statistics Bulletin in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the year 2023. According to the results of the bulletin, the number of railway passengers increased by 33% compared to 2022, with the percentage of passengers within cities reaching 72.5%, through which they traveled a distance of more than one million kilometers, while the percentage of passengers between cities reached 27.5% of the total number of passengers in 2023 through 31.7 thousand trips, through which they traveled a distance of 10.4 million kilometers.

The results of the railway transport statistics bulletin revealed that during 2023, Saudi Railways carried out 5,200 freight train trips for a total distance of 4.03 million kilometers. The amount of freight transported during 2023 amounted to more than 14.3 million tons, an increase of 5.6% compared to 2022. The largest share of this was transported via the Northern Line, at 94.3%, which is equivalent to 13.5 million tons (bulk goods). Meanwhile, more than 699,000 containers were transported via the Eastern Line in 2023, an increase of 3.7% compared to 2022.

The bulletin's results showed that the total number of intercity passenger railway stations was 15 passenger stations, with 93 passenger locomotives and 559 passenger carriages, providing a total of 18,359 seats. In contrast, the total number of freight railway stations was 12 freight stations, with 158 freight locomotives and 3,341 freight carriages. The total number of passenger stations within cities was 25 stations.

The bulletin's results showed that the total length of intercity passenger railway lines was 3,064 kilometers, the total length of freight railway lines was 2,093 kilometers, and the length of electrified passenger railway lines within cities was 61.7 kilometers.

It is worth noting that the Rail Transport Statistics Bulletin is an annual record that provides a broad base of statistics, which serves as a reliable foundation for conducting studies and research in the field of rail transport, identifying passenger traffic arriving and departing via rail, determining freight volumes, and the number of journeys

The General Authority for Statistics also announced the results of the Land Transport Statistics Bulletin in the Kingdom for the year 2023, which showed an increase in the number of public transport passengers by buses by 176% compared to 2022. The number of bus passengers within and between cities reached more than 117.6 million passengers, and the number of users of bus transport within cities exceeded 113.5 million passengers in 2023, an increase of 195% over the previous year, while the number of bus passengers between cities reached about 4.1 million passengers in the same year, while the total number of bus trips within and between cities recorded 3.7 million trips during 2023.

The results of the Land Transport Statistics Bulletin revealed that the total amount of cargo exported through land ports in 2023 amounted to more than 13.5 million tons, recording an increase of 6.2% compared to 2022, while the amount of cargo imported through land ports amounted to more than 11.4 million tons, an increase of 0.3% compared to the previous year. Al-Batha port recorded the highest percentage of exports and imports, as exports amounted to 31.1% and imports to 36.7% of the total land ports in the Kingdom.

The bulletin's results indicated that the total length of the Kingdom's road network reached 316.9 thousand kilometers in 2023, an increase of 2.2% over the previous year. The length of roads within cities reached 194.4 thousand kilometers, an increase of 0.8% over 2022, while the length of roads between cities reached 74.2 thousand kilometers for 2023, an increase of 0.9% over 2022.

The data showed that traffic between the Kingdom’s cities reached 390.4 million vehicles in the year, with a monthly average of 33.2 million vehicles. The traffic of vehicles coming through the land ports reached 11.8 million vehicles in 2023, an increase of 28.9% compared to 2022, and the traffic of vehicles leaving through the land ports reached 11.9 million vehicles, an increase of 26% compared to 2022.

The bulletin's results showed that the number of registered and roadworthy vehicles up to the end of 2023 reached 15.1 million vehicles, an increase of 6.2% over the previous year, while the number of trips in the small vehicle routing activity reached 63.8 million trips by the end of 2023, registering a decrease of 9.8% over the previous year, through 260,780 small cars. The Riyadh region had the highest number of trips at 39.6%, followed by the Makkah region at 24.5%, and then the Eastern region at 17.3% in 2023.

Land transport statistics also showed a decrease in serious traffic accidents in 2023 by 2.5% compared to 2022, and indicated a decrease in the number of deaths due to traffic accidents by 2.9% compared to the previous year. The bulletin's results also revealed a decrease in the number of injuries from traffic accidents by 1.8% compared to 2022, noting that the percentage of deaths due to traffic accidents was in the (18-30) age group, which was the highest at 35%, followed by the (31-40) age group at 22%.

It is worth mentioning that the Land Transport Statistics Bulletin provides accurate and comprehensive information on passenger movement, freight, infrastructure, and road traffic. It is a reliable source used in research and studies related to the field of land transport, and contributes to local, regional, and international comparisons. It relies on administrative record data provided by a group of governmental and private entities, making it an essential tool for understanding and analyzing developments in the land transport sector. This bulletin is issued annually.