![Metro Doha Logo 10](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Metro_Doha_Logo_10.2018.svg)
The Doha Metro is a
rapid transit
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...
system in
Doha
Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the coun ...
,
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
's capital city, which became operational on 8 May 2019. It has three lines with an approximate overall length of 76 km and 37 stations. It is an integral component of the larger Qatar Rail network, which will include a long-distance rail for passengers and freight, linking Qatar to the
GCC, and the
Lusail LRT. Capable of reaching 100 km/h, the Doha Metro is one of the fastest driverless trains in the world.
Doha Metro is operated and maintained for a duration of 20 years by RKH Qitarat, a joint venture formed by Hamad Group (51%) and French transit operators
Keolis
Keolis is a multinational transportation company that operates public transport systems. The company manages bus, rapid transit, tram, coach networks, rental bikes, car parks, water taxi, cable car, trolleybus and funicular services.
...
and
RATP Dev RATP may refer to:
Transportation:
* RATP Group, or ', a public transport operator based in Paris, France
* RATP Iași (), a transit operator responsible for public transportation in Iași, Romania
* RATP Ploiești (), a transit operator respon ...
(49%), on behalf of system owner
Qatar Rail
Qatar Railways Company, commonly known as Qatar Rail, is a state-owned railway company, responsible for rail transport in Qatar. It is owned and operated by the Government of Qatar. Established in 2011, the company is responsible for the design, co ...
.
History
In 2009,
Qatari Diar
The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA; ar, جهاز قطر للإستثمار) is Qatar's sovereign wealth fund. The QIA was founded by the State of Qatar in 2005 to strengthen the country's economy by diversifying into new asset classes. In 2021 ...
and
Deutsche Bahn signed a joint venture to develop a concept for a railway network in Qatar. In 2011,
Qatar Rail
Qatar Railways Company, commonly known as Qatar Rail, is a state-owned railway company, responsible for rail transport in Qatar. It is owned and operated by the Government of Qatar. Established in 2011, the company is responsible for the design, co ...
became the sole owner of the project while Deutsche Bahn with its global wing DB International (since 2016 DB Engineering & Consulting) took over as main consultant and source for required railway experts.
[Qatar Rail. Building one of the modest modern railway networks in the world.](_blank)
'Littlegate Publishing' Retrieved 1 April 2018 In 2013, the construction of the Doha Metro officially began with a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of Msheireb station.
Throughout early 2013, Qatar Rail released the D&B tenders and received submissions from various international firms to construct sections of Phase 1a, corresponding to the Red and Green Lines. In mid-May
Salini Impregilo
Webuild SpA (formerly Salini Impregilo SpA) () is an Italian industrial group specialised in the construction and civil engineering business headquartered in Milan. The company was formally founded in 2014 as the result of the merger by incorporat ...
was awarded to manage the construction of the Red Line North segment, running from Msheireb to Al Khor North.
[Italy's Impregilo leads $2bn Doha Metro deal win](_blank)
''Arabian Business'' Retrieved 19 June 2013 In June, it was revealed that QDVC and
Porr
Porr AG (referred to by the company as PORR AG) is a construction group listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange with its headquarters in Vienna. It is one of the largest Austrian construction companies and is active nationally and internationally in a ...
were successful in their bids to lead the building of the Red Line South segment and Green Line, respectively.
[Two more Doha Metro contracts awarded](_blank)
''Construction Week Online'' Retrieved 19 June 2013 In May 2014 a consortium of
Larsen & Toubro
Larsen & Toubro Ltd, commonly known as L&T, is an Indian multinational conglomerate company, with business interests in engineering, construction, manufacturing, technology, information technology and financial services, headquartered in Mumba ...
, Aktor,
Yapi Merkezi Yapi is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Cyril Yapi (born 1980), French footballer
* Gilles Yapi Yapo (born 1982), Ivorian footballer
See also
* Enerji Yapi-Yol Sen v Turkey, is a European labour law case
* Yapi Kredi Bank Aze ...
,
STFA Group and Al Jaber Engineering was awarded to design and construct the Doha Metro Gold Line.
[Doha Gold Line design and construction awarded](_blank)
''Railway Gazette International'' 1 June 2014 A total of 21 tunnel-boring machines from the German company
Herrenknecht
Herrenknecht AG is a German company that manufactures tunnel boring machines, headquartered in Allmannsweier, Schwanau, Baden-Württemberg. It is the worldwide market leader for heavy tunnel boring machines. Roughly two-thirds of its 5,000 employ ...
were planned for the tunnel construction of the Metro Phase 1.
[Championship alliance in Doha](_blank)
'Herrenknecht References' Retrieved 25 September 2016
Metro network
Lines
The Doha Metro consists of three lines opening in phases from 2019 to 2020,
with an eventual completion date of 2026.
The Red, Green and Gold Lines radiate out from a central interchange at Msheireb in Downtown Doha.
Segments
Doha Metro Phase 1 was implemented by multiple joint ventures involving local and international contractors. Qatar Rail has previously specified that consortiums looking to build different parts of the network should partner with a Qatari firm, which has led to companies such as
Qatar Building Company
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
, Galfar Al-Misnad Engineering, Al Darwish and HBK Contracting all picking up work alongside international bidders.
Red Line North (Underground): The Red Line North starts from Msheireb station in the South to Al Khor in the North. Seven underground stations are proposed along this route up to
Doha Golf Club
The Doha Golf Club in Doha, Qatar is an 18-hole, 7,374-yard, par 72 championship course that was designed by Peter Harradine. The Doha Golf Club is also one of the first grass golf course ever built in the Middle East. Open to nonmembers, it has a ...
, from where it will be over the ground to reach Al Khor. A Joint Venture (JV) led by
Salini Impregilo
Webuild SpA (formerly Salini Impregilo SpA) () is an Italian industrial group specialised in the construction and civil engineering business headquartered in Milan. The company was formally founded in 2014 as the result of the merger by incorporat ...
, South Korea's SK Engineering & Construction, and Galfar Al Misnad was chosen as the D&B contractor.
Red Line North (Elevated & at-grade): A Joint Venture (JV) consortium comprising Korea's
Lotte Engineering & Construction,
Rizzani de Eccher
Rizzani de Eccher S.p.A. is an Italian general contractor with headquarters in Pozzuolo del Friuli, in Northeastern Italy, active globally in the areas of engineering, infrastructure and buildings construction.
History
Rizzani was established ...
of Italy and Redco of Qatar has been chosen as the D&B contractor.
Red Line South (Underground): The Red Line South extends from Msheireb in the North to Mesaieed in the South. It is planned to have six underground stations. The D&B JV contractors are Qatari Diar
Vinci Construction
Vinci (corporately styled VINCI) is a French concessions and construction company founded in 1899 as Société Générale d'Enterprises. Its head office is in Nanterre, in the western suburbs of Paris. Vinci is listed on Euronext's Paris stock ...
(QDVC),
GS Engineering & Construction
GS Group is a South Korean conglomerate. GS comprises GS Holdings, subsidiaries & affiliates including GS Caltex, GS Retail, GS Shop, GS EPS, GS Global, GS Sports and GS E&C among others. The asset size is 65.4 trillion KRW at the end of 2019 ...
, and Al Darwish Engineering.
Red Line South (Elevated & at-grade): The Joint Venture led by Spain's
FCC
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdictio ...
and comprising Turkey's Yuksel, Netherlands’
Archirodon and Qatar's Petroserv has been selected as the D&B contractor for the line. The scope of work involves full design and construction of the Red Line section along Al Wakra Highway.
Green Line: The Green Line, which also has both underground and Elevated and at-grade sections, extends from Msheireb in the East to Al Riffa in Doha West. The project's D&B contract of the Green line underground project has been given to a JV led by
PORR Bau (UG-Lead partner), QD-Saudi
Bin Laden Group (Elevated-Lead Partner) and Hamad Bin Khalid Contracting.
Gold Line: The Gold Line connects nine underground stations and D&B contractor is ALYSJ JV led by Greece's
EllaktorELLAKTOR Groupis the largest infrastructure group in Greece and one of the leading in Southeastern Europe, with an international presence and a diversified portfolio of activities, focusing on construction, concessions, environment, renewable energy ...
and comprising Larsen and Toubro (India),
Yapı Merkezi
Yapı Merkezi Holding A.Ş. is a group company whose field of activity is primarily in the construction industry. It was founded in 1965 by Ersin Arioglu and Koksal Anadol in Istanbul. As the first and largest company of the Yapı Merkezi Group, ...
(Turkey),
STFA Group (Turkey) and Al Jaber Engineering (Qatar).
Stations
![Construction of the red line of the Doha Metro](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Construction_of_the_red_line_of_the_Doha_Metro.jpg)
Doha Metro will have about 100 stations when the project is completed. This will include a major interchanges station built at Msheireb, hub for the Metro network and the interchange for Red, Green and Gold Lines.
Qatar Rail chose to integrate Qatari culture into the Metro by naming stations after historical towns and cities, each with its own story and background.
Phase 1
Red Line (Coastal Line)
A North-South Line connecting the towns of
Lusail
Lusail ( ar, لوسيل, , ) is the second-largest city in Qatar, located on the coast, in the southern part of the municipality of Al Daayen. Lusail is located about north of the city centre of Doha, just north of the West Bay Lagoon, on over ...
,
West Bay, Msheireb,
Hamad International Airport
Hamad International Airport ( ar, مطار حمد الدولي, ') is an international airport in the State of Qatar, and the home of Qatar’s flag carrier airline, Qatar Airways. Located east of its capital, Doha, it replaced the nearby Doha ...
and
Al Wakra
Al Wakrah ( ar, الوكرة, al-Wakra) is the capital city of the Al Wakrah Municipality in Qatar. Al Wakrah's eastern edge is the shores of the Persian Gulf and Qatar's capital Doha is situated to the city's immediate north. Governed by Sheikh ...
.
*
Lusail
Lusail ( ar, لوسيل, , ) is the second-largest city in Qatar, located on the coast, in the southern part of the municipality of Al Daayen. Lusail is located about north of the city centre of Doha, just north of the West Bay Lagoon, on over ...
*
Qatar University
Qatar University ( ar, جامعة قطر; transliterated: Jami'at Qatar) is a public research university located on the northern outskirts of Doha, Qatar. It is the only public university in the country. The university hosts ten colleges – Arts ...
*
Leqtaifiya
*
Katara
*
Al Qassar
Al Qassar ( ar, القصار, Al Qaşşār; also spelled to as Al Gassar) is a seafront district on Qatar's eastern coast, located in the municipality of Ad Dawhah.
In the 2015 census it formed Zone 61 with Al Dafna and Zone 66 with Onaiza and ...
*Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (city centre)
*
West Bay QIC
*
Corniche
A corniche is a road on the side of a cliff or mountain, with the ground rising on one side and falling away on the other. The word has been absorbed into English from the French term ' or "road on a ledge", originally derived from the Itali ...
*
Al Bidda
*
Msheireb
*
Al Doha Al Jadeda
*
Umm Ghuwailina
*
Al Matar Al Qadeem
*Oqba Ibn Nafie
*
Hamad International Airport Terminal 1
*Free Zone
*
Ras Bu Fontas
*
Al Wakra
Al Wakrah ( ar, الوكرة, al-Wakra) is the capital city of the Al Wakrah Municipality in Qatar. Al Wakrah's eastern edge is the shores of the Persian Gulf and Qatar's capital Doha is situated to the city's immediate north. Governed by Sheikh ...
Green Line (Education Line)
The Green Line follows Al Rayyan Road connecting Education City with the Heart of Doha. Furthermore, it links to Umm Salal and the Industrial Area South.
*
Al Riffa
*
Education City
Education City is a development in Al Rayyan, Qatar. Developed by the Qatar Foundation, the property houses various educational facilities, including satellite campuses of eight international universities.
History
Education City was launched b ...
*
Qatar National Library
Qatar National Library (QNL) is a non-profit organization under the umbrella of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.Qatar National Library.About the library." Retrieved 2014-12-14. The plans for the new national ...
*
Al Shaqab
Al Shaqab ( ar, الشقب ) is Qatar Foundation’s (QF) equestrian center in the Al Shagub district, Qatar. Founded in 1992 by Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of Qatar, Al Shaqab joined QF in 2004. Al Shaqab is now the region's l ...
*
Al Rayyan Al Qadeem
*
Al Messila
*
Hamad Medical City
Hamad Medical City ( ar, مدينة حمد الطبية) is a district in Qatar, located in the municipality of Ad Dawhah. Together with New Al Hitmi and Fereej Bin Omran, it makes up Zone 37 which has a total population of 26,121. It is admini ...
*
The White Palace
*
Al Bidda
*
Msheireb
*
Al Mansoura
Gold Line (Historic Line)
The Gold Line runs in an East-West direction and connects Airport City North via central Msheireb with Al Waab Street, Al Rayyan South and Salwa Road.
*
Ras Abu Aboud
Ras Abu Aboud ( ar, راس بو عبود, Ra’s Abū ‘Abbūd) is a district located in the municipality of Doha in Qatar. It is an industrial district containing power and desalination plants. It accommodates one of the three major power station ...
(was Airport City North)
*
National Museum of Qatar
The National Museum of Qatar is a national museum in Doha, Qatar. The current building opened to the public on 28 March 2019, replacing the previous building which opened in 1975. The building was designed by architect Jean Nouvel who was inspire ...
*
Al Souq
*
Msheireb
*
Bin Mahmoud
*
Al Sadd
Al Sadd Sports Club ( ar, نادي السد الرياضي, lit=Dam Sports Club) is a Qatari sports club based in the Al Sadd district of the city of Doha. It is best known for its association football team, which competes in th ...
*Joaan
*Al Sudan
*
Al Waab
Al Waab ( ar, الوعب, Al Wa‘b) is a district situated between the municipalities of Doha and Al Rayyan in Qatar. The district has witnessed tremendous growth beginning in the mid-1990s, resulting in the construction of numerous residential ...
*
Sports City
*
Al Aziziya
Al Aziziya ( ar, العزيزية) is a district in the municipality of Al Rayyan in Qatar, located on the outskirts of Doha.
Landmarks
*The Qatar Center for Voluntary Activities was established in the district in July 2001. It encourages volunte ...
Most stations will offer free feeder buses to places near the stations. Standard tickets cost 2 QAR each for one way, whilst 'gold club' tickets cost 10 QAR each.
Phase 2
This will be updated when
Qatar Rail
Qatar Railways Company, commonly known as Qatar Rail, is a state-owned railway company, responsible for rail transport in Qatar. It is owned and operated by the Government of Qatar. Established in 2011, the company is responsible for the design, co ...
has announced the stations for the next phase. This phase contains
Blue Line. This would probably be announced in the end of 2020. This project is estimated to finish in 2025/6.
Design
The Doha Metro stations' design was selected in October 2013 by the Emir of Qatar. The design is called "Vaulted Spaces"; it is derived from historic Islamic architecture, using old Islamic architectural elements in a modern way.
UNStudio
UNStudio (formerly Van Berkel en Bos Architectenbureau) is a Dutch architectural practice specializing in architecture, urban development and "infrastructural" projects. The practice was founded in 1988 by Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos. The ini ...
, the company responsible for the metro stations' design, highlighted the region's vernacular architecture; the design acts as a bridge between the country's past and future. One of the key elements of the design is the exterior shape of the station; this uses bright, modern materials to simulate the interior of an oyster. The levels of the station will be open to each other giving passengers at feeling of comfort, and concealing the lighting and ventilation in the shapes of the arches. The "Vaulted Spaces" design was selected out of a total of six proposals and master plans for the Doha Metro stations.
The specific trains used were designed by the Kinki Sharyo Industrial Design Office in collaboration with the German Design firm Tricon Design, to reflect the culture of Qatar. The Emir is known to have personally selected the exterior design of the train, inspired by the shape of an Arabian horse.
In May 2016, Consolidated Contractors (CCC) took over the contract for the Msheireb and Education City stations, from a joint venture of Samsung C&T Corporation (S. Korea), Obrascon Huarte Lein (Spain), and Qatar Building Company.
Technology
Rolling stock
The 75 three-car driverless trainsets for the metro system are supplied jointly by Japanese companies
Mitsubishi Corporation
is Japan's largest trading company (sogo shosha) and a member of the Mitsubishi keiretsu. As of 2022, Mitsubishi Corporation employs over 80,000 people and has ten business segments, including finance, banking, energy, machinery, chemical ...
and
Kinki Sharyo
is a Japanese manufacturer of railroad vehicles based in Osaka. It is an affiliate company of Kintetsu Corporation. In business since 1920 (as Tanaka Rolling Stock Works) and renamed The Kinki Sharyo Co., Ltd in 1945. They have produced light r ...
. The first four sets were delivered in August 2017.
Signaling, telecommunication and security system
Thales
Thales of Miletus ( ; grc-gre, Θαλῆς; ) was a Greek mathematician, astronomer, statesman, and pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. He was one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regarded him ...
of France will supply the train control signalling, telecommunication, a security system, an operations control center and an automatic fare collection system.
Track and power supply
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
is a Japanese multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. MHI is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group and its automobile division is the predecessor of Mitsubishi Mo ...
will supply the track and power supply. The company will also supply the platform screen doors and tunnel ventilation and will be responsible with overall project management and system integration.
Bored tunnels
The Metro network will cover the Greater Doha area and will include connections to town centers and main commercial and residential areas throughout the city. In central Doha, the Metro will be underground, whilst on the outskirts it will mainly be at ground level or elevated.
For the underground works, Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) imported
Tunnel Boring Machine
A tunnel boring machine (TBM), also known as a "mole", is a machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section through a variety of soil and rock strata. They may also be used for microtunneling. They can be designed to bore thro ...
s (TBMs). 21 TBMs were used to cut tunnels 20 meters beneath the city for the lines.
Each of the TBMs for the Doha Metro measures 7.05m in diameter and 120m in length.
To ensure successful transportation, the machines are dismantled into sections, including the cutter head.
Each TBM traveled a distance of between 7–9 km and took approx. 2 years to complete their respective tunnels. The TBM average speed will be between 12m/day to 21m/day, depending on ground conditions. Daily excavation quantity will be over 600m³, with an estimated predicted total excavation quantity of over 5,000,000m³.
Qatar Rail has been recognised by
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
for having "The Largest Number of Tunnel Boring Machines Operating Simultaneously in a Single Project", a milestone for large-scale transport projects in Qatar and across the region.
With this recognition, the company has broken the previous world record, which was 19 simultaneously operational TBMs.
In 2017, Qatar Rail received the ITA Award from the
International Tunneling and Underground Space Association
The International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA-AITES) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization founded in 1974, comprising currently 78 member nations and 266 corporate or individual affiliate members, aiming to encour ...
for the Major Project of the year 2017. The Doha Metro project was nominated under the category of "Projects exceeding 500 Million Euros" and won the award after being shortlisted with other three megaprojects from Canada, Iran and India.
IT infrastructure
Computers, network infrastructure and other related equipment were provided by
IBM,
Lenovo
Lenovo Group Limited, often shortened to Lenovo ( , ), is a Chinese Multinational corporation, multinational technology company specializing in designing, manufacturing, and marketing consumer electronics, Personal computer, personal computers, ...
,
Hewlett-Packard
The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company headquartered in Palo Alto, California. HP developed and provided a wide variety of hardware components ...
,
Siemens
Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad.
The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...
and
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc., commonly known as Cisco, is an American-based multinational corporation, multinational digital communications technology conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develo ...
.
Safety and security
![Interior of Doha metro in December 2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Interior_of_Doha_metro_in_December_2019.jpg)
Safety and security measures are applied throughout the drilling phase of the underground Doha Metro works. The planned procedures involve elements that can guarantee a safe working environment, far from the risks of injuries, including managing emergency cases and treating them swiftly. The safety & security program of Qatar's Railway focuses on the emergency planning and response on the railway network while taking into consideration the unique nature of mass transit systems when planning for and implementing the program.
The transport policies, security models addressing the legal and regulatory issues, as well as the relationships between the involved institutions
are also part of the safety and security plan that Qatar Rail Company is leading in Doha.
In September 2014, Qatar Rail, the owner and manager of Qatar's rail network and the party responsible for the design, construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance of the entire rail network and system, has held a strategic workshop on the safety, security, and resilience of the country's railway network in consultation with UK and Qatari experts. The company proposed its safety and security programme, along with its recommendations and a full roadmap towards the future operation stage of the railway.
In June 2014, it was announced that the Doha Metro Green Line Project achieved 6 million work hours without a lost time injury (LTI).
Operation
The Metro System will be operated as a system with
automatic train operation as Grade of Operation, level 4 (GoA 4). GoA 4 is unattended train operation (UTO) where starting and stopping, operation of doors and handling of emergencies are fully automated without any on-train staff.
The network has two classes of travel, standard and goldclub. Standard tickets cost 2
Qatari riyal
The Qatari riyal (sign: QR in Latin, in Arabic; ISO code: QAR) is the currency of the State of Qatar. It is divided into 100 dirhams ( ar, درهم).
History
Until 1966, Qatar used the Indian rupee as its currency, in the form of Gulf rupees. ...
s per journey, while goldclub tickets cost 10 riyals per journey. There are three types of train car used on the metro network: standard, goldclub, and family cars, which allow families and single women but not men. During the
2022 FIFA World Cup, all cars were designated as standard to increase capacity on the network.
Network map
References
External links
Qatar Rail official website
{{RATP Group
Doha Metro
Keolis
Railway lines opened in 2019
2019 establishments in Qatar
Rail transport in Qatar
Rapid transit in Qatar
RATP Group
Automated guideway transit