Meeting goalposts
More than $30 billion in contracts have already been awarded to dozens of companies to work on Qatar’s public transportation system. According to a 2012 Zawya report, the country plans to spend more on railways in the next decade than any other Gulf country, to the tune of $41.8 billion. That is phenomenal expenditure and illustrates the far-sightedness and ambition of the Qatari Government in improving their beautiful capital city, Doha.
Phase 1 of the Doha Metro is expected to be completed by 2017, and will enter the testing phase before the first passengers board in 2019.
Areas that would be covered by the 37 stations open at that time include Hamad International Airport (which is expected to soft launch this month......April 2014 ), Msheireb, Education City and West Bay and Lusail, where passengers can transfer to light-rail vehicles that will travel up to Al Khor.
Contractors, Systra and Parsons have also been working on the light rail design. The French firm has additionally been awarded a contract in December to work with Qatar with a third mass transit project, a long-distance passenger and freight rail network scheduled for completion in 2029.
Doha Metro will transform transportation in and around, the Qatari capital, Doha. The Qatar government is being extremely far-sighted and ambitious, with these fantastic, state-of-the-art transport infrastructure plans. Allied with its new, soon to be open , Hamad International Airport ,Doha Metro will carry visitors to all parts of Doha and its environs , in comfort and without delay.
These fantastic, well-thought out , mega-projects will put Doha at the forefront of 21 st century tourism and business expansion, globally...not just in the Middle East.
