Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) recently concluded a strategic workshop on the safety, security and resilience of the country’s railway network.
The workshop was held in co-operation with government and private agencies from Qatar and the UK within the framework of ongoing co-ordination with various partners involved in the development of public transport in the country.
During the closing session dedicated to the distribution of certificates of participation, Qatar Rail announced its proposed safety and security programme, along with its recommendations and a full roadmap towards the future operation stage of Qatar’s railway.
The session was attended by Director-General of Public Security Staff Maj Gen Saad bin Jassim al-Khulaifi, managing director and chairman of the Executive Committee of Qatar Rail Abdulla Abdulaziz al-Subaie and Qatar Rail’s CEO Saad al-Muhannadi, in addition to leading security executives from Qatar and the UK.
On the occasion, al-Subaie handed over an honorary trophy to Staff Maj Gen Saad al-Khulaifi as a token of gratitude to the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and security agencies for co-operating with and supporting Qatar Rail’s projects.
The “Qatar Railway’s Security, Safety & Resilience Strategic Workshop” led to strategic themes, including the preparation of laws and legislative regulations for the specialisations of all authorities concerned, command and control structures for integrated planning and inter-operability, training and qualification dedicated to officials in the security and safety field, as well as the communication plan required among the parties involved to respond to incidents and efficiency between them.
The workshop was organised with the participation of senior officials and representatives from the British Transport Police, London Fire Brigade, Transport for London, the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority as well as legal and regulatory experts from Henderson Chambers and Clyde and Co.
Participants in the workshop from the Qatari side included representatives from the Ministry of Transport, MoI, General Directorate of Civil Defence, Lekhwiya, Qatar Armed Forces, Ras Laffan College, Qatar Red Crescent/Ambulance, healthcare providers, independent safety assessor, Public Works Authority (Ashghal) and the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.
“We are exerting continuous efforts to bring the best specialists involved in the rail industry from around the world together with our Qatari executives to interact and exchange expertise,” said al-Subaie.
“I am very pleased that British experts have been able to hold this workshop with Qatari colleagues and am sure that it will provide a good foundation for Qatar as it develops its new rail network,” said Nicholas Hopton, British ambassador to Qatar.
“The workshop demonstrated the benefits and importance of having specialised units performing dedicated functions to support the operations of the railway network, and we’ve also reached a blueprint of the safety, security and resilience capabilities required and chart over the preparations and certifications necessary to allow Qatar’s railway operations at the desired level,” said al-Muhannadi.
“We were able to develop an integrated plan for responding to emergencies and potential accidents in a professional and organised manner,” said Dr Fahad al-Jaber, Quality, Health, Safety and Environment Director at Qatar Rail.
