Doha Metro .. A landmark of Qatar
Since May, Qatar Rail has announced the launch of the new Doha Metro, a project that fits Qatar’s wider railway plans, ahead of its hosting of the World Cup 2022.
The project will become a landmark for Qatar, as it will play the key role in transforming Qatar’s public transport sector, the $36 billion projects provide a convenient transportation network connects between the capital and its suburbs, and all its key locations.
Doha Metro and the traffic problems solving
Doha aims to become one of the world’s leading financial and commercial centers, and therefore the number of arrivals is increasing. These visitors often use taxis and buses during their stay in the country, the thing that has led to the increase of congestion, especially during peak hours, which negatively affects the economic life and public welfare of the country.
Hence, the Doha Metro, Qatar’s first underground train system, has been designed to significantly solve traffic problems as well as accommodate the increase in arrivals during the 2022 World Cup, hosted by the Gulf state.
This project supports Qatar’s Vision 2030, a strategy that aims to drive economic and social progress in the country. As transportation is important for any city, especially the rapidly growing city, this train network, which includes the Red Line, the Green Line, and the Golden Line, has been established, and it includes 37 stations that are due to be totally completed in 2026.
Two other railway projects are scheduled to be constructed in the country, the Lusail Tram, which will mainly serve the people of Lusail City and connect them to the capital. The other is the Long-Distance Rail Project, which will be connected to the wider railway network in the GCC.
Fashionable design
In just 26 months, and through this unprecedented performance in the world, Qatar has achieved a global breakthrough in modern infrastructure development by delivering this project in a short period of time with the highest standards of performance, safety, and quality.
By building 111 km of tunnels and 9km of bridges, the Doha Metro will connect all major sites in the city together.
Currently, only part of the Red Line has been operational, which starts from the Al-Qassar district, through the Central Business District, and ending up at the southern city of Al Wakrah.
The driverless trains are designed to travel at speeds of up to 100 km / h. The trains were divided into three compartments (standard, family and golden club), each train has 130 seats and it can accommodate up to 416 people.
All stations have air conditioning, a police booth, prayer areas for men and women, and electronic displays.
Challenges that Doha Metro project has faced
The construction of the Doha metro project wasn’t easy as the project has faced many crises and obstacles from the beginning.
When the project started, there were no companies or developers in the Qatari market who can work on the infrastructure of the project, which forced the state-owned company to search for international partners who often did not have construction experience in the country and the region as a whole.
This is in addition to the repercussions of the huge regional diplomatic crisis that took place between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt. The four countries imposed an air, sea and land blockade on Qatar claiming it supported terrorism, but this continued blockade did not affect the construction of the project.
Flexibility and the will to succeed were able to face these crises and complete the project.
