Doha Metro has truly revolutionised Qatar’s public transportation sector and has been a huge success since its launch over two years ago. Opened in late 2019, the metro has recorded 50 million passengers to date. The service has played a key role in the success of major events in Qatar held in recent past such as the FIFA Arab Cub late last year, when the metro transported around 2.5 million passengers. During the Arab Cup, Doha Metro extended its hours, operating from 6am to 3am. Full metro fleet of 110 train was operational, with 6-car trains plying the Red Line.
The service is also poised to play a big role at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, where it will transport tens of thousands of fans to and from stadiums daily. It provides a seamless transportation experience to fans, away from traffic congestion, which is usually a problem at large public events. Of the eight World Cup stadiums, five can be accessed directly from Doha Metro: Lusail Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, 974 Stadium, Education City Stadium, and Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.
The government recently launched a new platform, Sila, that integrates all the public transportation modes including Doha Metro, tram, Karwa buses, and taxis. While metro has been popular with the commuters from day one, the feeder bus service has greatly enhanced the use of metro by the commuters.
Mowasalat (Karwa) operates free feeder buses to and from a number of busy metro stations, covering a few kilometers radius around stations.
Apart from the Doha Metro, Karwa public bus network has been an affordable and efficient mode of transportation for many, reducing the ever rising number of cars on the roads. The vast bus network covers almost every neighbourhood in Doha, as well as the localities outside Doha and other cities.
The Ministry of Transport is working on an ambitious project of converting all public transport buses, including the government school buses, to electric power in the future, as part of Qatar’s endeavours to cut carbon emissions. In the first step, the Ministry aims to convert 25 percent buses to electric power by 2022. Fully electric-powered buses are already plying a number of routes in the country. Last week, the authorities operated a fully electric-powered bus fleet on Doha Metro Gold line.
Qatar’s public transportation is seeing a complete revamp and upgrade and is ready to welcome the fans to the World Cup.
