The massive project includes plans for a high-speed long distance
rail link, driverless four-line Metro service for Doha and freight
lines. The plans also include the West Bay People Mover, and overground
rail system designed to distribute passengers around Doha’s tower
district.

The initial push will be to develop the Doha Metro Red Line that runs
between Messaieed in the south with Al Khor in the North. The line runs
through the heart of Doha, with branches to the New Doha International
Airport and underground tunnelling required to run through the heart of
the old city to Al Bidda and West Bay.

“Phase 1 is the absolute minimum railway that we need for the World
Cup. Phase One is geared around the very high population levels that are
seen along the coast.

You’re linking Lusail, the brand new development 220,000 people, the
Pearl, another 100,000 people, West Bay, on around the Corniche, through
central Doha and on to the airport,” Mee said.

Phase One also includes the Green Line, which runs from Msheireb in
the heart of the old city to Education City in Doha West, while a third
line, the Yellow Line, will help transport football fans to the city’s
Khalifa Stadium.

Mee said that Qatar Rail had invited expressions of interest from
companies in may this year, and that the process had, “thrown up
sufficient highly proficient teams with all of the component parts in
place to fulfil our first sets of contracts.”

He said Qatar Rail would engage with contractors in the New Year with
a view to letting the first contracts in June 2012. Those contracts
would cover utility diversions, and also some advanced works for some of
the station design.

Major civil work has been split in to five tunnelling contracts, each
totalling “between $1-1.5bn” and two major stations contracts.

“Timescale for this is March with an indication that we will have let
those contracts by September of next year. And I already have the
expressions of interest to create the shortlist for those people that
will be invited and, I can tell you, that they are world class
tunnelling design and construction teams that have already been formed,”
Mee said.

Qatar Rail has an eight year construction window to produce a workable Metro and rail service for the World Cup.

Mee said the eight year construction window was tight but “doable” –
and that the remainder of the Qatar Rail system would be phased post
World Cup to 2026.

http://www.constructionweekonline.com/article-14972-qatar-rail-to-begin-...