Doha Metro will be sustainable if 20% of the population uses the service, Qatar Rail managing director and CEO Abdulla Abdulaziz T al-Subaie said Sunday. “The traffic jam on the roads results in huge revenue loss and manpower hours. Even if 20% of the population uses the metro, Qatar Rail can break-even, considering all the sustainable factors,” he explained.

Al-Subaie was speaking at a panel discussion at the opening ceremony of the Qatar Green Building Conference, part of Qatar Sustainability Week, 2018 organised by Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC), a member of Qatar Foundation (QF).
Ahmed Mohamed al-Sada, assistant undersecretary for Environment Affairs at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, launched the event, which will run until November 3, at Sheraton Grand Doha Resort. 
Qatar Sustainability Week 2018, an initiative held under the patronage of HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, aims to foster a culture of sustainability by engaging people and organisations in a wide range of activities.
The opening of event also marked the start of Qatar Green Building Conference, held under the patronage of QF vice-chairperson and CEO HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani.
QGBC director Meshal al-Shamari pointed out the organisation has accomplished a number of initiatives in various areas of sustainability. 
“We have had over 1,400 delegates participating in our programmes and 4,500 training sessions as well as 55 courses on 29 topics in the recent times. We had also issued a Green Guide to make sustainability as part of the efforts to make people’s lives more green,” he said.
At the opening ceremony of the conference, QGBC board member Ibrahim al-Jaidah chaired an executive panel discussion titled ‘The transformation of Doha into a sustainable intelligent city in preparation for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.’ Along with al-Subaie, other panelists included Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) president Essa bin Hilal al-Kuwari and Msheireb Properties acting CEO Ali al-Kuwari.
“Kahramaa's mega solar power plant with a capacity of 700mw is expected to be operational by 2021. We will issue the public tender for the project very soon,” said al-Kuwari. Al- Subaie highlighted, "All the metro stations will follow the highest sustainable standards. The Msheireb Station will have five star rating in environmental sustainability while we hope to gain four star and above for all the other metro stations.”
This year’s conference, titled ‘The Impact,’ has brought together industry leaders and sustainability experts to address and showcase their innovative solutions to the most pressing environmental challenges facing Qatar and the region. 
“The effectiveness of Qatar Sustainability Week 2018 is determined by the active participation of the various partners from both the private and public sectors – Qatar Sustainability Week 2018 has more than 100 partners and 200 events. This initiative plays a crucial role in raising awareness among the wider community while showcasing the incredible milestones Qatar has reached in the areas of sustainability and green buildings,” added al- Shamari.
Hundreds of fun and free sustainability-related events and initiatives will take place during Qatar Sustainability Week 2018, including engaging talks and lectures, a beach and desert clean-up, art exhibitions, exercise classes, and tours.