Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) and Qatar Assistive Technology Center (Mada) forged a partnership aimed at enhancing the travel experience of persons with disabilities (PWDs) and the elderly when using the Doha Metro.
Mada CEO Maha al-Mansori and Qatar Rail’s chief of Strategy and Business Development Ajlan Eid al-Enazi signed the agreement yesterday on the second day of Qatar IT Conference and Exhibition (Qitcom 2019), taking place at the Qatar National Convention Centre.
“Qatar Rail aspires to be a world-class railway company by providing safe, reliable railway transportation services. We strive to adopt world-class practices to address the needs of people with disability when it comes to using our transportation services,” al-Enazi said in a statement. He underscored the importance of providing comprehensive travel experience to all segments of society, which is a key to the success of the project.
Qatar Rail, al-Enazi noted, plans to host more events and tours that will raise awareness on such topic, hoping the Metro and Tram will be the preferred mode of transport for commuters with disabilities in Qatar. Besides organising a series of workshops, the agreement also includes evaluating the experience of commuters with disabilities on trains and at metro stations.
Qatar Rail, participating at Qitcom’s 5th edition as one of the official sponsors, aims to highlight the aspects related to this year’s theme: ‘Safe and Smart Cities’. The company also underlines the significant role that will be carried by the Doha Metro in supporting Qatar’s efforts to transform its cities into smart cities for a sustainable future.
Speaking to ‘Gulf Times’, Mada’s communications and marketing officer Mohamed al-Fehaida echoed the statement of al-Enazi saying that PWDs have the right to access public transport and communication in the country. He said this new partnership with Qatar Rail will give PWDs digital access to information that will enable them to move around with more independence.
As Qitcom’s official Digital Accessibility Partner, Mada, along with its partners, is featuring state-of-the-art pavilion where best practices in the areas of digital access and assistive technology is being showcased.

Virtual tour
The Doha Metro is a technologically advanced rail transport system that is safe and environmentally friendly. The highest global standards of sustainability have been adopted in all aspects of this project to achieve the optimal balance between technical and environmental realms. Visitors to Qatar Rail’s stand at Qitcom are able to discover this new mode of transport system through interactive content, including a tour of the Doha Metro stations and its trains using virtual reality technology.
Additionally, they can also get aquainted with various Doha Metro services, register their data, explore location of the stations and their surrounding areas and how to access them through support services such as Metrolink, MetroExpress and others.

e-accessibility standards
A team of digital accessibility experts from Mada worked with event organisers to ensure that e-accessibility standards were implemented across all digital platforms for this year’s exhibition and conference. In addition, Mada provided training on how to organise accessible events, namely ensuring that all exhibition stands, and the registration area are accessible to people with disabilities and the elderly. Mada’s interactive pavilion highlights best practices in digital access and assistive technology as part of its commitment to creating an Inclusive Qatar by enhancing access to ICT. Mada’s stand also highlights latest trends and provided resources across three key areas that reflect the Centre’s strategy: education, culture and innovation. The stand showcases these areas through six distinct zones identified by Mada as key building blocks for an inclusive digital ecosystem. These are: Access to ICT and information; Transportation; Inclusive Digital Education; Culture, Leisure and Sports; Customer Service and Retail; and Innovation.
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