Runaway Train

Lusail
Doha Metro – Phase 1
Qatar University
Legtaifiya
Katara
Al-Qassar
Al-Riffa
Education City
Qatar
National Library
Al-Shaqab
Al-Rayyan Al-Qadeem
Al-Aziziyah
Al-Messila
Hamad Hospital
Joaan
Al-Sudan
Al-Waab
Sport City
West Bay
Corniche
Doha Exhibition and
Convention Centre
The White
Palace Al-Bidda
Souq Waqif
Al-Sadd
Qatar National Museum
Al-Doha
Bi Mahmoud
Al-Jadeda
Ras Bu Abboud
Msheirab
Umm Ghuwailina Hamad International
Al-Mansoura
Al-Matar
Airport (Terminal 1)
Obqa ibn Nafie
Green Line
Red Line
Gold Line
Economic Zone
Ras Bu Fontas
Al-Wakra
Doha Metro
In August 2008, national development agency Qatari Diar Real
Estate Investment appointed the German national railway
company DB to produce plans for a national railway network.
Qatari Diar and DB signed an agreement in November
2009 to form a joint venture, Qatar Railways Development
Company (QRDC), which would implement, develop and
manage the conceptual design of the railway plan. DB
International (DBI), the international wing of DB, owned a 49
per cent interest in the JV. In 2011, the state through Qatar
Railways Company (Qatar Rail) purchased the shares held by
DBI in the JV and became the owner of QRDC.
The project is now being executed directly by Qatar Rail
instead of QRDC, with support from DBI.
Although not planned to be wholly open and functional
prior to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the construction of those
parts of the Doha Metro, considered necessary to service the
World Cup traffic is now 90 per cent complete. Upon full
completion, the 300 km project will comprise four lines (Red,
Gold, Green and Blue) and will link around 100 stations.
Doha Metro’s four lines will link major sites such as
Education City, West Bay, Lusail, Hamad Bin Khalifa
International Airport and the Qatar National Convention
Centre, as well as stadiums for the 2022 World Cup. The
original estimate for the cost of the Doha Metro was
USD36bn. 39
Construction was planned to take place over two phases:
• Phase I – would total 55 km of tunnels and 30 km above
ground with 37 stations. Ground-breaking for the civil
works took place in October 2012. 40 This phase was
originally set to open in 2019 but that opening date has
been pushed back to 2020; and
• Phase II – would bring the network to 241 km with
106 stations, including 123 km underground. 41 It is not
reported when this phase will commence, which is
understandable with the focus of Qatar Rail on delivery
of its 2022 transport infrastructure needs.
Each separate line has its own project management
consultants. These teams are required to co-ordinate with
Parson Brinkerhoff, which has been appointed as the overall
project manager of the Qatar Integrated Rail Programme.
Each of the lines is considered individually below:
Runaway train | January 2017
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