By Bonnie James www.gulf-times.com
Work on Qatar’s integrated national railway network, the first phase of which is expected to be operational in the fourth quarter of 2019, entered a new stage yesterday with the groundbreaking ceremony for a station at Msheireb, the central hub of the Doha Metro.
The proposed station is located within the Msheireb Downtown Doha development of Msheireb Properties, described as the world’s first sustainable downtown regeneration project.
“The Phase 1 of Doha Metro is scheduled to be operational in the fourth quarter of 2019,” Qatar Rail CEO Saad Ahmed al-Muhannadi told Gulf Times on the sidelines of the event.
Qatar Rail managing director Abdulla al-Subaie, Msheireb Properties’ chief officer of design and delivery Mohamed al-Marri and a number of senior officials attended the ceremony.
Qatar Rail is the organisation implementing the metro and long distance passenger and freight rail network. The national rail network consists of four metro lines, tram transit and high speed railway, in addition to dedicated freight rail links.
The national railway network will also connect to neighbouring countries to create the region’s first fully integrated railway system. The enabling work or pre-construction phase of Doha Metro’s Phase 1 began early last month. It is scheduled to extend across the city and suburbs as preparation continues to make other sites construction-ready for the design and build contractors in 2013.
The Msheireb station, an underground interchange facility expected to be widely used by transfer passengers, will have three intersecting lines. The Green and Red lines are to be located in parallel at the upper level and the Golden line, underneath.
