Qatar’s first tram is expected to be operational by 2015, according to a top official of Siemens Qatar, which is building the system.
“We have started the project and we are in the phase of mobilisation,” Siemens Qatar CEO Bernhard Fonseka told Gulf Times in an interview.
Expecting that the first tram to be up and running by 2015, he said Siemens was incorporating the newest technology in the world as trams would move without overhead or underground wiring.
Trams with hybrid energy storage systems can operate without an overhead contact line and are especially energy-efficient and environment-friendly, consuming up to 30% less energy per year and producing less carbon dioxide emission than vehicles without such systems.
The company was awarded a “three-digit-million” dollar contract from Qatar Foundation to work on the project, which is all slated to be a new benchmark for public transport infrastructure in the Gulf region.
Siemens Qatar, which is expecting modest QR5bn revenue from Qatar in the next two to three years, will supply Qatar Foundation with Avenio trams, signalling and communication systems, electrification as well as the depot equipment.
The trams will receive electric power at the 25 stations along the 11.5km-route within Qatar Foundation.
Fonseka said the project itself was a test for Siemens as it had to brave not only technical challenge but also regional challenges like weather.
The trams, each of which could carry 239 passengers, would be equipped with powerful air conditioning systems and special sun protectors on the roof that will protect the electrical equipment from radiant heat.
The low-floor technology and the sophisticated arrangement of double doors for the Avenio platform ensure that passengers can enter and exit the trams in a very short time and thus enable shorter stop times.
As part of the contract, Siemens will also supply signalling and communication technology as well as depot equipment, and equip four stations with platform screen doors.
The tram project is in line with Qatar’s National Vision 2030 to balance the economic growth, social development and environmental protection.
Asked how far the project has gone, Fonseka said Siemens has agreed on the alignment as to where and how the tram would go.
“We still have ongoing talks on the inner design of the tram. Special customisation is to be made. We have also other engineering issue that has to be overcome,” he said, adding “once we have certain milestone reached, then the manufacturing of cars will start in Vienna.”