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The Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) showcased the security and safety standards of Doha Metro at a workshop conducted in co-operation with the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and other government organisations. |
The workshop was held on Sunday within the framework of ongoing co-ordination between Qatar Rail and other entities in the country in relation to the ambitious rail project.
Qatar Rail invited the MoI, represented by Civil Defence, Lekhwiya (Internal Security Force) and Traffic Department, and the Hamad Medical Corporation.
The aim of the workshop was to showcase the best practices in security, health and safety when dealing with incidents and crises in all facets of projects overseen by Qatar Rail.
The co-ordination between Qatar Rail and Civil Defence has found its roots in the early stages of the rail project, thanks to weekly meetings between the prevention department at Civil Defence and permit department at Qatar Rail. These meetings are aimed at ensuring that all architectural designs and mechanical specifications and services of Qatar Rail meet the terms and specifications of the Civil Defence directorate.
The workshop reinforced the importance of early co-ordination between Qatar Rail and Civil Defence as the Civil Defence staff gear up to deal with any potential cases of fire or other incidents at Doha Metro.
To accomplish this mission, officers from support departments in Civil Defence, as well as from the operations division, were invited to participate in the workshop to identify the requested equipment and set up alternative plans to deal with fire or accidents.
Qatar Rail showcased in the workshop factors it is focusing on during construction of the rail network, including the safety of work sites, exits and access to emergency services and telecommunications during emergencies. The company also shared lessons learned from previous Metro construction accidents in other countries and ways of avoiding them.
During the workshop, a documentary film on tunnel boring machines introduced the audience to the new technology that will be used in construction of rail tunnels.
Then, the floor was opened for questions and answers where Qatar Rail answered queries and took note of the topics brought up by the authorities concerned to be studied and incorporated into the design criteria in accordance with international standard designs in Metro projects.
This was the first of a series of workshops planned by Qatar Rail and the MoI.
