In a press conference, Qatar Railways Company or Qatar Rail, the company overseeing the construction of the Qatar’s integrated railway network, unveiled the overall technical progress of the network’s developments. Stressing on Qatar Rail’s alignment with the State’s National Vision 2030, the conference featured a series of key speeches by the company’s engineering experts, as well as a presentation on the company’s projects and their contribution to providing a modern and efficient transportation network that is capable of keeping pace with the growing needs of the Qatari population.
“Qatar is undertaking a number of mega-projects to accomplish its National Vision 2030. These projects require a world-class transportation equipment and logistics solutions that are capable of timely delivery” commented Engineer Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Turki Al Subaie, Managing Director, Qatar Rail. “Significant investments have gone into Qatar’s transportation and shipping infrastructure, including the construction of the New Doha International Airport, the New Doha port, and several mega cities such as Lusail and Musheireb. Additionally, the railway network project, estimated at USD 35 billion entails plans to extend shipping railways by 325 km and to connect Qatar’s rail networks to those of other GCC countries.”
“The railway network project in Qatar comes in line with the State’s National Vision 2030 and reflects the government’s commitment to major infrastructure and setup projects as part of Qatar’s sustainable growth and development plans across its key sectors,” Al Subaie asserted. “More importantly, the project is a timely response to the Qatari people’s fast-growing need for alternative and modern means of transportation.”
Qatar Rail aims at bringing about a tangible shift in railway projects, leading three vital developments in Qatar – the Doha Metro, the Long Distance Passenger and Freight Rail, and the Lusail Light Rail Transit, which will work in full integration to connect Qatar’s key areas with each other and with their vital extensions. The Doha Metro will link the capital’s innerand outer areas such as Lusail city, the New Doha International Airport, the Education City and the West Bay area.
Al Subaie also stressed on the role Qatar Rail’s railway network projects will play in reshaping Qatar’s infrastructure, ranking among the biggest world-class, pioneer, ambitious and modern railway projects in the region and placing Qatar among the world’s most advanced countries in the transportation sector. “Whether through construction, design or other complementary and accompanying works and projects, Qatar Rail has provided the private sector with a great deal of business and labour opportunities through its developments,” he said, adding that “Among the company’s most ambitious objectives is the significant participation of Qatari private sector to the railway network projects.”
Qatar Rail’s projects will create over 104 job opportunities for the Qatari private sector, he explained, with forecasts to generate over USD 38 billion in potential revenues. Fully committed to the promotion of Qatarisation, Qatar Rail has put in place several hiring, training and development schemes for the current Qatari workforce, as well as recruitment, internship, rehabilitation and grants programmes providing Qatari students with the proper education and skills at Qatar’s best academic institutions, particularly senior engineering students. This will be of great added value to Qatar Rail’s human capital, competence and efficiency in the future. Moreover, the company is committed to preserving Qatar’s natural ecosystem and environment by building an eco-friendly infrastructure for its railway network.
Commenting on the progress of the company’s current developments, Qatar Rail’s Chief Executive Officer, Engineer Saad Al Muhannadi announced that “Within a short period of time, Qatar Rail has signed on to several agreements, worth over USD 32 billion in total, to proceed with the preliminary works for the Doha Metro project and the Lusail Light Rail Transit,”and work for the Doha Metro projects is moving along as scheduled. Lusail Light Rail Transit has reached advanced stages. “The Long Distance Passenger and Freight Rail transportation system, which will cover 350 km in distance at a speed ranging between 220 and 350 kmh for passenger trains, and nearing 120 kmh for freight trains, is currently under technical and commercial evaluation by expert consultants,” he added.
With regards to the Lusail Light Rail Transit, Al Muhannadi revealed that Qatar Rail has finalised the tunneling works for the project and completed over 60% of the structure for drilling works for its stations. Additionally, 50% of the structure of the bridge overseeing Al Khor and the Lusail Light Rail Transit, which is slated to be officially delivered by 2017, has been set up. The Lusail Light Rail Transit is composed of four lines extending to 30.5 km, among which are 19 km at ground level, 10 km underground, and 1 km above the ground, in addition to a 0.5 km track between two high-rises. The overall project consists of a fleet of 34 trains and 37 stations, 24 of which are on ground level, ten are underground, one is located on the bridge level, and two connect two high-rises.
On a related note, Engineer Hamad Al Bishri, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Programme Officer, Qatar Rail, recapped the progress of the company’s current projects, highlighting the Qatari government’s sizeable investments into the country’s infrastructure over the coming years, 25 % of which will pour solely into Qatar Rail’s transportation sector.
“Qatar Rail’s developments are essential in Qatar’s urban fabric, consistently working to meet the Qatari society’s growing needs for sustainable development,” he said. “Public transport has become a bare infrastructural necessity for any developed market, whereby metro networks have largely contributed to the reduction of Carbon Dioxide emissions, pollution and time-wasting traffic jams. Qatar will be no exception, as the Doha Metro project will not only improve the Qatari people’s quality of life, but will also create ample opportunities for Qatari investors and industry professionals.”
In fact, the Doha Metro network consists of four lines extending to 354 km across the Greater Doha area, connecting the city’s two central points with larger commercial, residential and dynamic areas in Downtown Doha, and operating underground in busy areas, and on-and-above the ground levels in the suburbs. Moreover, the network will cover over 90 stations two of which are central and located in the city of Musheireb and Education City.
Indeed, the Doha Metro was designed to keep pace with the growing needs and size of the Qatari population, its aesthetic features fitted to Qatar’s cultural heritage and reflecting historic Islamic architecture. The network’s stations interior design characterised by vaulted spaces and pearl-like materials, creating a sense of familiarity and warmth to Qatari commuters.
The Doha Metro project will be conducted over two stages. The first, scheduled to be completed in 2019, entails the setup of 37 stations, among which the Musheireb Station, located in the heart of Doha, will be the metro network’s headquarters and the intersection point for three of its four lines. In the future, the Education City station will serve a double purpose, linking the Green Line to the Long Distance passenger rail in addition to its current trajectory. The project’s second phase, extending to 152 km and encompassing nearly 56 stations, will be delivered by 2026.
The metro lines will operate underground in areas located in the heart of Doha. Qatar Rail will employ advanced Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) using Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) technology for the tunnelling works for these underground operations, whereby a circular cutting ring will break into underground surfaces, creating cylinder cavities for the tunnels. The debris of this process will then be transferred, through the tunnels, to a “dish”, as the ring moves forward and cuts through underground concrete, supported by a hydraulic functioning system. This mechanism enables not only seamless setup of underground tunnels, but proper use of the demolished concrete as a supporting layer to the tunnels’ protection shield.
The drilling and cavitation machinery ranks among the best in the world, and has been tailor-designed for Qatar’s geographical nature. This machinery will be spread across ten locations in Qatar, with the disc as the only visible part of the work for underground tunnels, whereas four cavitation machines will be deployed at Al Bidda station, two of which will traverse the underground route toward Musheireb station, and the remaining two will cross the road to the centre of West Bay through the southern part of West Gulf station.
The creation of underground tunnels will include the provision of logistical supplies to operate the EPB-powered machinery, and will be split into two phases. The first will involve underground cavitation works and the second the setup of a proper underground infrastructure.
Qatar Rail will fully scan areas for underground tunnels before any drilling and excavation works take place as it will set up several control and monitoring posts across these areas, and take precautionary measures for unforeseen problems or events. In fact, the EPB technology will allow the company to conduct the works for underground tunnels with little impact on residential areas located above and around these tunnels. Moreover, Qatar Rail’s TBMs for tunnelling have been used in major cities worldwide, including London, Paris, New York, Zurich, Cairo, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi, and is in accordance with world-class safety and security standards for both the project’s crew and Qatari residents. As such, the works for underground tunnels will not disrupt Qatari residents’ daily lives.
On another front, the Qatar Rail Development Programme will offer time-saving and environment-friendly benefits. The distance from Musheireb area to Al Rayyan Stadium is estimated at 39 minutes by car, compared to 23.5 minutes by metro,” Al Muhannadi explained, “While the approximate quantity of carbon dioxide emission saved by metro transport for this distance is 2.8 kg – enough energy to light a lamp for 850 hours. Likewise, commuting from Musheireb to Qatar University takes 28 minutes by car, whereas by metro, it takes 18 minutes and saves 1.9 kg of carbon dioxide – enough energy to operate a television set for 200 hours in 8 days.
Indeed, over the past 18 months, Qatar Rail has conducted a 15-volume intensive study over 100 sq. km. of Qatari territory, evaluating the possible environmental impact and footprint of the railway network projects whether during or after its completion. The results of this study have steered Qatar Rail towards the right decisions around the overall development of the network, and toward a collaborative effort with the Ministry of Environment to ensure that its projects are certified, and permits granted on the basis of its compliance with the ministry’s standards and requirements.
When the Doha Metro operates in full capacity by 2030, we expect 17,000 cars to be off the street, which means saving 107,000 kg of carbon dioxide emissions – just about enough energy to fly around the world 21 times.
With regards to the Long Distance Passenger and Freight Rail project, it consists of three different categories – a shuttle service for GCC transit passengers and travellers, transportation services for locals and freight transport services for international and domestic routes. The project will be executed over four phases with plans to initiate the enabling works in 2015 and complete the fourth and final phase in 2030. The network will extend to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the New Doha Port, and Qatar’s Hamad International Airport. The project’s first phase entails connecting Doha with Mesaieed and the Saudi Arabia border, the second phase will link west Doha to Hamad International Airport and Bahrain, the third phase will link Doha and west Doha to Ras Laffan and the fourth phase will consist of building the remaining lines for passenger and freight transport.