DOHA: By 2019, Doha will have tunnels stretching 70km as part of the Doha Metro project.
This was disclosed during a visit by the Prime Minister and Interior Minister, H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, to the site of the Al Qassar station on the Red Line North (RLN) of the Doha Metro project.
The Prime Minister inspected the progress of the project and was briefed on ongoing excavations.
Twenty-one tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are being used for the Doha Metro Phase 1 excavation works excavating 113km of tunnels, which will continue until the end of 2018.
Eight of these TBMs are working on the Red Line project.
During the visit, the Prime Minister launched the Lebretha TBM and listened to a detailed explanation on the working mechanism by the Minister of Transport, H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti.
The minister explained the QHSE (Quality, Health, Safety and Environment) regulations applied on site with respect to the personnel’s well-being and working conditions.
In a statement, Eng. Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Turki Al Subaie, managing director of Qatar Rail, said that the Prime Minister’s visit had encouraged Qatar Rail to continue its efforts to accomplish the required work as planned.
Eng. Saad Ahmed Al Mohannadi, CEO of Qatar Rail, said that by 2019 the tunnel boring machines will accomplish excavation of 70km of tunnels across the Qatari capital for the Red Line (North and South Lines) as well as the Green and Gold Lines.
The Red Line runs from south Doha to the north and constitutes 18 stations for Phase 1 (13 underground stations and five stations above ground), which are Al Wakra, Ras Bu Fontas, Economic Zone, Hamad International Airport (Terminal 1), Oqba Ibn Nafie, Al Matar, Umm Ghuwailina, Al Doha Al Jadeeda, Msheireb, Al Bidda, Corniche, West Bay, Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre, Al Qassar, Katara, Legtaifiya, Qatar University and Lusail.
The 43km Red Line route includes 29 km of underground tracks through twin tunnels and 14km of elevated tracks.
THE PENINSULA
