Hyperloop One Completes First Commercial Passenger Route in Saudi Arabia

The Riyadh-Jeddah Hyperloop corridor begins commercial operations, cutting the 950km journey to just 76 minutes and reshaping transportation across the Arabian Peninsula.

Transportation · Middle East · 2026-02-22 · 2 min read · By John Awab

Virgin Hyperloop One has achieved a historic milestone with the inauguration of the world's first commercial hyperloop passenger route connecting Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. The 950-kilometer corridor reduces travel time between the two cities from approximately 10 hours by car to just 76 minutes.

The project, part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 initiative, represents a $20 billion investment in next-generation transportation infrastructure. Passengers travel in sleek, airline-style pods through near-vacuum tubes at speeds of up to 1,200 kilometers per hour.

The system accommodates 840 passengers per direction per hour, with pods departing every 2 minutes during peak times. Ticket prices are set at approximately $75 for economy class and $200 for business class, competitive with domestic air travel.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman described the launch as "a testament to Saudi Arabia's commitment to building the future." The project created over 15,000 jobs during construction and continues to employ 3,000 people in operations and maintenance.

Safety systems include multi-layered redundancies, with each pod equipped with emergency braking systems, life support capabilities, and autonomous navigation that can handle multiple simultaneous failures. The system completed over 10,000 test runs with zero safety incidents before receiving commercial certification.

A second route connecting Riyadh to NEOM, the futuristic megacity under construction in northwestern Saudi Arabia, is already in the planning stages with construction expected to begin in early 2027.