#qrail

Al Saad shopkeepers despair at road closures http://dohane.ws/12PgdxH

Construction is coming to another busy Doha road this month, as Qatar Rail advances on plans to roll out a new Al Sadd St. metro station.

Shopkeepers and restauranteurs said they have received notices from the rail company that they will be closing different sections of Al Sadd over the next three years, starting Oct. 15.

Many have expressed dismay about the plans, saying the works…

After being appointed principal architect by Qatar Rail, Dutch company UNStudio has published its designs for the new Doha Metro.

The metro is one of three public transportation projects that Qatar is working on to help reduce the nation’s growing road congestion. It will enter operations in 2019 with four lines and some 37 stations.

The renderings were shared this week, and will apply to the first phase of the metro when it opens in four years, as well as the second phase, when the transport system is extended to 56 stations by 2026.

In a statement, UNStudio said:

“UNStudio’s design forms a bridge between the past and the future of Qatar, drawing inspiration from the vast regional architectural lexicon, whilst simultaneously representing an effective vision of modernisation and preservation.

The design further aims to incorporate and integrate all functional and technical aspects of the network and stations into a coherent architectural expression.”

Background

Previously, Qatar Rail said the first phase of the Doha Metro would be completed in 2017, and be in the testing phase for two years before opening to passenger traffic in 2019.

By this time, some 10 stations are expected to be completed for the Red Line North (which links Msheireb to the Doha Golf Course via West Bay) and eight stations for the Red Line South (which links Msheireb to Hamad International Airport).

Some 11 stations on the Gold Line and 10 stations on the Green Line are also expected to be open by 2019.

Some 21 boring machines will be used to dig tunnels for the metro, which is mostly underground. When the first machines arrived, Qatar Rail said digging would begin in August.

However, the company has not responded to recent inquiries from Doha News about the process.

Other projects

Qatar is also making progress on a Lusail light-rail transit system, which consists of 37 stations along a 30.5km track and is expected to be operational by 2017.

This is a separate project from the Doha Metro, but passengers would be able to transfer between the two lines at the Lusail Marina/Pearl station.

A passenger and freight rail network is also in the works, but isn’t expected to be completed until 2029.

What do you think of the new designs? Thoughts?

As it moves full-speed ahead to finish construction of the first phase of the Doha Metro in 2018, Qatar Rail has awarded one its largest rail contracts yet to a Greek-led consortium, the Athens-based company announced on Thursday.

In a statement on its website, Ellaktor said that subsidiary Aktor had signed a $4.4 billion contract for the design and construction of Doha’s “Gold Line…

Due to ongoing work on the Doha Metro, the Rumailah underpass inside of the Hamad Hospital complex will be closed for the next three years, Qatar Rail has announced.

The closure will take effect on Friday, April 18 and run through October of 2017, and diversions will be set up to facilitate traffic.

HMC is a stop on the Doha Metro’s Phase 1 Green Line route, which runs east-west and is…

Qatar Rail has awarded a new multi-million dollar contract to extend the Doha Metro to one of the country’s key World Cup venues south of the city, according to the winning construction consortium.

Spain-based FCC said in a statementthis week that the €506 million (QR2.57 billion) project involves building elevated stations at what it calls Barwa Village, Al Wakrah and the Qatar Economic Zone.…