DOHA: Qatar Rail Managing Director, Eng Abdullah Al Subaie stressed the economic, environmental, education, human and social sustainability benefits of the projects at the American Chamber of Commerce in Qatar’s Distinguished Speakers Series yesterday.
Addressing over 80 members of the American business community, Al Subaie said the forecast huge increase in population of Qatar would require efficient mobility and safety which could be answered by the projects set to provide a world class efficient public transport.
He outlined the main features of the three projects namely Doha Metro, long distance network for passengers and freight and the Lusail light rail tram system.
“Two years after operation, we will have 640,000 passengers per day using the metro and ten years later we will have 1.65m passengers,” he said, adding the aim is to 75 percent of the population in the catchment area use public transport which also includes those provided by Mowasalat.
Less journey time and cut in CO2 emissions were among the benefits of the projects he mentioned, which he said would reflect on the quality of life.
“We will also have 170,000 cars less during peak hours in a day due to the Doha Metro. There will be more foreign investment because of our strong transport infrastructure,” he said.
Giving an update on the projects, Al subaie said: “Our projects are making good progress with 67km of tunnels completed out of 113km for Doha Metro. Other countries take 20 years to deliver what we are looking to accomplish in five years.”
He said 2016 would be the peak year for construction as work intensifies. “Our tunneling and civil works will complete next year and we then move on to lay track and install the systems. We are already preparing for operational readiness.” He noted the key role the local private sector has played in the project, with over 700 contracts awarded to local companies. He also pointed out that there were a number of business opportunities for the American infrastructure, retail and real-estate sector and invited American companies to continue active participation in Qatar Rail tenders.
Robert Hager, Chairman of the Board of American Chamber of Commerce, reiterated the need for continued strong business ties between the US and Qatar.
“Many American firms are already a part of the Qatar Rail flagship projects. We hope that the business opportunities presented today will encourage more companies from the US to compete for the contracts. Infrastructure and the development of the industries supporting it is very important for the expansion of our bilateral trade ties,” said Hager.
The Peninsula
