Lusail Light Rail Transit to start service in 2018
While three of Qatar’s major rail and metro projects are facing delays, Lusail Light Rail Transit is the latest to show progress with the tram contract awarded by the Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail).
According to a recent report by MEED, Qatar is one of the three largest markets for rail and metro infrastructure in the Middle East, which currently features USD167billion (QAR 608 billion) worth of active and unawarded rail and metro projects. “In Qatar, there are still several contracts to be awarded on the Doha Metro in addition to the main packages on the long-distance passenger and freight networks,” the report states. While the Education City People Mover is more imminent, due to be complete by 2015, some major projects are still on hold. Both the West Bay People Mover and Friendship Bridge are on hold, while the Msheireb tram has also been postponed.
The latest progress on Qatar’s rail scene is the Lusail tram contract awarded by Qatar Rail to a consortium of Alstom and QDVC. The four-line tram network is worth USD2.72 billion (QAR 10 billion). Expected to start service in 2018 with the launch of the Yellow Line, the next phase of delivery is scheduled in 2020.
The four-line network will cross the city covering a distance of 33 kilometres (km), including 7km underground and 37 stations. Designed to accommodate 200,000 people, Lusail City will also house one of the 2022 World Cup stadiums. For the design of the Lusail Iconic stadium, four firms have been shortlisted.
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