How to book Train Tickets Online in Saudi Arabia – through SAR website – Saudi Arabian Railways

Whether you are traveling alone or have someone accompanying you, there are a few ways you can book your tickets. The first option is directly booking from the SAR (Saudi Arabian Railways) website.

The website is very comprehensive and streamlined so as to provide ease of access to even the less tech-savvy of us. We can find out about all the trains that are available and the routes and stations that they will go through.

SAR provides a calendar of the trains running on specific days and dates. After selecting our desired destination and date we get an estimate of the fare. The fare is dynamically set so it may change as per the duration between the date of booking and date of travel. The fare estimate also depends on the coach and class so these are a few things you would have to keep in mind beforehand.

There is also an option where you can check the baggage limit that is allowed on the train. In case you surpass the allotted baggage limit there is an option to pay extra on a per kilogram basis depending on the train that you are traveling in. This can be done at the station at the time of checking in your baggage.

The final steps include providing your personal details, which include your name, age, nationality, contact details and type of identification you hold. You can choose from KSA ID, Passport or Iqama.

Follow through with the payment process of your choosing and you are good to go.

Booking from SAR website

The SAR website provides us various options such as

  • Buying tickets
  • Info on ticket types
  • Ticket prices
  • Cancellations and Refunds
  • Terms and Conditions

The steps for booking a ticket depend on your device

Option A : Using a laptop/PC

  • Visit the SAR official website
  • Click on buy ticket button

  • You will be directed to this page

  • For one way trip click one way and for round trip click the round trip button
  • Lets say you want to go from Riyadh to Qassin and you are 4 passengers (2 adults, 1 child, 1 infant). Select the correct options for the number of passengers.
  • Next select economy/business class
  • Select travel date, let’s say it’s 30/10/18
  • Click search
  • It will display your total cost
  • Click add to cart and then make payment
  • Print your tickets

Booking through mobile app

  • Download the app from the app store
  • Open the app
  • Select the origin, destination, travel date, and passenger number
  • For example from Majmaa to Riyadh on 31 October for 1 Adult, 1 child and 1 Infant this would be the fare calculation. (IMAGE) It shows you the exact time the train departs and arrives.

  • Click select and continue. You will be asked to sign in or continue as guest.
  • Enter info for all passengers and then finally make payment.

Important Info

The app allows you only 10 minutes for completing the information and making payment. So before you book, make an account in advance by signing up and keep all your payment details handy. You can see the time at the top of the screen showing that 7 minutes are left to complete booking.

 

Ticket types and Prices

  • Advance Purchase Tickets:

If you book 12 weeks to 3 weeks before the trip, you can save upto 60% on the prices as compared to buying at the station

  • Business class tickets

Passengers have access to special facilities at departure lounges and “at seat service” including refreshment and snacks.

Also, the seats for business class are more comfortable and spacious.

The baggage allowance for business class is 32kg and 10kg hand bags allowance. The check in point for business class passengers is open until 5 minutes before departure.

Routes and Stations

The SAR route map is as follows:

While the actual project aims at connecting Riyadh to Al Jouf and Qurayyat, as of now the service is available until Hail. So the train departs Riyadh and reaches Majmaah in 79 minutes. From Majmaa to Qassin it takes 62 minutes and from Qassin to Hail 115 minutes. So if a person travels from Riyadh to Hail it will take under 5 hours of travel.

In addition to carrying passengers, SAR also carries cargo thus saving large amounts of fuel.

Other ways to book tickets

The above-mentioned facilities are available for everyone at any point in time with an internet connection but if someone is unable to make use of them the SAR has all the facilities available offline just like the usual. You can go and buy tickets at all their stations by means of over the counter purchase.

The staff present on duty would gladly help you out with any of your transactions and they can also print your pre-purchased online tickets there.

They accept a wide variety of payment methods so you can be relaxed about that. You can either choose to use your credit or debit card for your online purchase or for your purchase at the station. They also accept cash and transaction via SADAD.

Lastly, if you prefer to make reservations over phone you can do that as well by calling on this number 172108320376.
Complete your transaction through your preferred mode of payment like the usual or choose SADAD bill if you would like to pay through SADAD.