Doha: To facilitate fans and general commuters during FIFA Arab Cup 2021, Doha Metro is operating around 100,000 trips per day on its three lines.
“An entire fleet of 110 trains of Doha Metro is currently in service covering the network, which includes 37 stations on 3 lines — Red, Green and Gold — all of which extend over 76 km,” said Eng. Hamdan Rashid Al Mulla from Asset Management at Qatar Rail.
The Peninsula toured the Ras Bu Abboud station to see the arrangements and services being provided by Doha Metro to fans of Egypt-Sudan match, which was played at 974 Stadium yesterday.
The maximum capacity of the Ras Bu Abboud station, one of the 11 Gold Line stations (including the Msheireb and Al Bida interchange stations) is about 15,000 passengers per hour. Thousands of football fans including local families were using world-class metro services without any hassle.
The Doha Metro staff guided the fans about their ways to the stadium, while musical bands played at the station.
974 Stadium is directly connected to the Doha Metro network through Ras Bu Abboud station.
The stadium is hosting six matches of FIFA Arab Cup. The first one was played on November 30 between the UAE and Syria while the last match, the third-place game, will be held at the stadium on December 18.
Eng Hamdan Rashid Al Mulla said for the stations which are located near the stadiums hosting the matches, including 974 Stadium, Education City Stadium and Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium; fans can use Ras Bu Aboud Station (Golden Line), Education City Station (Green Line), and Riffa Station (Green Line) respectively.
“For stadiums which are not directly connected to metro stations, like Al Bayt Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium and Al-Janoub Stadium, fans are being transported through buses from nearby stations,” Eng. Hamdan Rashid Al Mulla added.
He further told The Peninsula that the total routes of the Metrolink bus service that transports passengers to and from metro stations within a radius of 2 to 5 kilometres, has reached 38 routes, while Metroexpress buses serve 6 stations in the vicinity of West Bay, Unaizah and Al Qassar areas. On operational plan for Doha Metro during the Arab Cup, he said the Arab Cup represents an important opportunity to measure the efficiency of the network in light of the presence of a large numbers of fans.
“Doha Metro service working hours have been extended from November 30 to December 18, starting from 6am in the morning until 3am the next morning from Saturday to Thursday and from 9am in the morning until 3am the next morning on Fridays,” he added.
For the first time, Al Mulla said, the number of cars for trains on the Red Line, which has a total of 18 stations stretching 40 km from north to south, has been increased to 6 cars per train instead of three. “For the first time since the project entered service, the entire Doha Metro train fleet, which includes 110 trains, is operational.”
He said that in cooperation with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) and the tournament’s organising committee, guiding posters have been placed at prominent places for the public at all Doha Metro stations.
“The fans can use the metro services through the ‘Haya’ fan card to travel throughout the tournament on the economy class on the metro until December 19, 2021. In this regard, the Doha Metro team has programmed and activated more than 210 thousand cards within a short period,” he said.
He further said that the Qatar Rail Company has issued ‘Your Guide to the Stadium’, which is a digital guide that provides information about metro transportation, the stations and lines to reach the stadiums where the tournament matches will be held by choosing the date of the matches according to the schedule. People can get the guide by scanning a QR code placed in metro stations.
