Qatar Rail has said that the first phase of the Doha Metro project is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2019
Construction work on the metro project is underway in full swing and Qatar Rail has completed nearly 60 per cent of the 113 km of tunnelling, using 21 tunnel boring machines. More than 27,000 people are employed in the construction work.
The first phase will see the Red, Gold, and Green lines opening in 2019. They will cover 80 km across Doha, of which 63 km will be underground, and will have 37 stations. The Lusail tram network, scheduled for completion by 2020, will add a further 38 km and an additional 37 stations. The second phase of the metro project will involve the construction of a fourth line.
?Fans attending 2022 FIFA World Cup matches will have the option to travel to stadiums on the ultra-modern Doha Metro and Lusail Tram, which are set to provide efficient and comfortable journey as Qatar continues to make significant progress towards completion of the first phase in late 2019,? said a statement from Qatar Rail. By the time of the football event, the average journey time between adjacent stations will be only three minutes, said Qatar Rail.
The Red Line will ensure that a trip from the airport to Lusail, where the venue for the World Cup opening and final matches will be located, would take only 36 minutes. The Green Line will take fans to two proposed host venues, Qatar Foundation Stadium and Al Rayyan Stadium, as it runs east from Al Mansoura to Al Riffa in the west. Both these stadiums are currently under construction. The Gold Line will take football fans from Msheireb, the main interchange station and a gathering point for spectators near Souq Waqif, to the Sports City that houses the Khalifa International Stadium, expected to be completed next year.
