Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH —Minister of Transport and Logistics Saleh Al-Jasser said that freight transport via trains will reach about 30 million tons this year, a historic figure equivalent to removing between 1.5 and 2 million trucks from the roads. Addressing the Budget Forum 2026 in Riyadh on Wednesday, the minister said the number of train passengers surpassed 10 million passengers annually.

He said that the transport and logistics sector, supported by structural reforms and the backing of the wise leadership, has secured investment contracts exceeding SR280 billion from both global and local private-sector partners.

Al-Jasser noted that the Kingdom’s strong and integrated transport and logistics infrastructure continues to attract major investments and expand business opportunities. He highlighted a 6.2 percent growth in the direct contribution of transport and storage activities to the national GDP this year, driven by notable expansion in logistics services and commercial air transport. The air freight sector alone recorded a 34 percent increase compared to the previous year, reaching 1.2 million tons, reinforcing the import and export ecosystem and supporting the Kingdom’s economic diversification goals.

Al-Jasser said that the sector achieved a 28 percent increase in job creation in transport and warehousing by the end of the first quarter of 2025, generating 144,000 new jobs and bringing the total workforce to nearly 651,000 employees.

He also highlighted significant progress in the railway sector, including the acquisition of 10 new passenger trains for the Eastern Railway network to meet rising demand for rail services and to support ongoing economic and developmental expansion.

The minister underscored that transport and logistics remain a strategic enabler of economic growth and sustainable development. He pointed to the expansion of logistics centers across the Kingdom, which reached 24 centers by 2025, further strengthening economic diversification.