By Mohammed Iqbal
DOHA: Qatar Rail has come out with several innovative programmes to familiarise the Qatari children and youth with its ambitious Doha Metro and railway project.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, lessons on the railway project have been made part of the school curriculum and student activities.
Qatar Rail is currently organising a three-day theatre festival, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the Ministry of Transport and Communication, as part of month-long activities featuring art, creativity and performance.
The “Qatar Rail Theatre Festival” opened on Monday features productions by students in Qatar based on their perceptions of the landmark railway project. Metro Art, an exhibition which uses art to bring Doha Metro to life will be opened later this week.
“The next generation are key users of the Qatar Rail projects and giving them a platform to express their thoughts and feelings about this exciting project is just one of the many ways we intend to inspire the nation, said Qatar Rail CEO Eng Saad Al Muhannadi.
“Later this week we are going to launch Metro Art, an exhibition which features talented Qatari artists and many other engaging performances and we look forward to releasing more information on this shortly,” Qatar Rail chief executive officer Eng Saad Al Muhannadi said.
The festival at the Qatar National Theatre features two plays created and performed by students. The first, entitled “Our Memories of the Future” sees the students imagine using a time machine to travel into the future, visiting Qatar in 2030 and experiencing for themselves the impact the integrated railway system has had to lives of Qatar’s community.
Students from Naseeba Bint Kaab Independent Primary School for Girls performed in this play.
The second play titled “The New Guest (Qatar Rail)” is presented by students from Abou Obaidah Preparatory Independent School for boys . It features a grandfather telling his grandson how a family visitor will arrive not by air, nor sea or road, but rather “from underground”.
The two plays are a result of the work carried out by a committee responsible for including Qatar Rail projects within academic curricula and school activities.
The committee comprising experts from Qatar Rail and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education was established with the goal of raising awareness among the young generation about the upcoming railway networks in Qatar.
These messages became part of the curriculum of primary and preparatory levels starting from the current academic year. A decision has also been made to include these topics in the school activities during the academic year as well as summer, and two plays represent the first step in that regard, said the official.
The first phase of the Doha Metro project, which will be one of the most advanced metro systems, is expected to be complete in the fourth quarter of 2019, while completion of the Lusail Tram is set for 2020.
By 2030, all the three networks – Doha Metro, Lusail Tram and the long-distance rail, which will link Qatar with the GCC Rail network – are expected to be complete.
With the completion of the first phase of the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram, Qatar Rail expects to offer 600,000 passenger trips per day by 2021. By then, 37 metro stations are expected to be complete, with an average journey time of three minutes between adjacent stations.
The Peninsula
