Right now, getting from central Riyadh to Qiddiya City, Saudi Arabia’s sprawling entertainment gigaproject on the western edge of the capital, takes close to 1 hour and a half by car. That’s not a minor inconvenience; for a destination designed to attract millions of visitors a year, it’s a real barrier. Which is exactly why the Q-Express exists.
The Qiddiya Bullet Train will reduce that journey to around 30 minutes, cutting travel time by 75% compared to current options. That’s not an incremental improvement. That’s a total reimagining of how Riyadh moves.
So How Fast Is It, Exactly?
The Q-Express will travel at speeds of up to 250 kilometres per hour, putting it in the same league as high-speed rail networks in Japan, France, and China. For context, that’s roughly the same speed as some of Europe’s fastest intercity trains.
The Route and the Scale
The rail line will cover 115 kilometres and include 19 stations, 14 underground and 5 elevated, connecting King Salman International Airport and the King Abdullah Financial District directly to Qiddiya City. Each station is being designed for fully automated operations, with the system built to integrate seamlessly into Riyadh’s existing metro network.
The project will be developed in two phases, with the second phase eventually extending to New Murabba, King Salman Park, and further into central and southern Riyadh. Think of it less as a single train line and more as the backbone of a future city.
What’s Qiddiya, Anyway?
If you haven’t been paying attention to Qiddiya, now is the time to start. Covering 376 square kilometres, it’s one of Saudi Arabia’s five official gigaprojects under Vision 2030, envisioned as a global destination for entertainment, sports, and culture. It will include Six Flags theme parks, an esports district, motorsport facilities, and a waterpark. It’s projected to attract 17 million visitors annually and generate 325,000 jobs. The Q-Express isn’t just a train to a theme park. It’s the artery that will make an entire new city breathe.
When Can You Ride It?
Operations are expected to begin between 2027 and 2028, timed to align with the opening of Qiddiya’s major attractions. The project is currently in the bidding phase, progressing under a public-private partnership model, which means global rail heavyweights are already circling.
Saudi Arabia is building for the future at a speed that matches its trains. The Q-Express isn’t just infrastructure, it’s a statement.
