* GCC rail line work to start soon * Metro, public transport ticket prices to remain unchanged this year
The transport network in the country is set to be ready ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 while work on the railway network that links Qatar with Saudi Arabia is expected to start soon, HE the Minister of Transport Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti has said.In an interview with Abdullah Ghanem al-Binali al-Mohannadi, the Editor-in-Chief of local Arabic daily Arrayah, HE the Minister said five bus station were recently completed, of which Al Sudan was the first to be inaugurated, while bus stations in Lusail, Al Wakra, the Industrial Area and Education City are ready to be handed over for operation in co-ordination with the Public Works Authority (Ashghal).
Besides, bus stations will also be completed and made operational at Msheireb, Al Gharrafa and Central West Bay. It is expected that all these stations will be operational before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. In addition, construction works are under way to set up four bus depots in Al Wakra, the New Industrial Area, Lusail and Al Rayyan, which will be ready for handover by Ashghal during the third quarter of this year. These will be equipped with some 650 electric charging stations. Besides, infrastructure works at the stations as well as the docking of marine ferries will be accomplished during the third quarter of this year, making the whole transportation infrastructure complete and ready for the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.He said the Ministry of Transport, in co-ordination with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, has a plan to implement Transport Demand Management (TDM) and test the efficiency of this plan, which aims to reduce the traffic load not connected to activities of the World Cup as well as after the event. The plan aims to avoid the creation of expensive infrastructure for a short period during the tournament, reduce the need for private transportation, curb traffic congestion and delays, improve the currently available infrastructure and service quality, enhance the efficiency of public transportation, and encourage the use of environment-friendly and safe means of public transportation, in addition to encouraging the adoption of more sustainable types of transport such as walking and cycling, and suspending work in crowded areas during the peak phase of the tournament.Further, joint work teams have been activated with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy to guarantee the effectiveness and success of the transport plans during the World Cup while specifying the roles and responsibilities of the main strategic partners, such as Ashghal, the Ministry of Interior, Mowasalat Company (Karwa) and Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail).There are 26 scheduled projects, including 12 to be implemented to serve the World Cup, distributed among different government entities, of which the Ministry of Transport is executing three. In addition, there are 14 projects for the post-World Cup scenario, with nine of these assigned to the Ministry. The tournament projects include encouraging the use of public transport such as the Metro, buses and tram by providing free transportation to ticket holders, the 'Park and Ridetarget="_blank"'>Work is also going on to introduce unified rules for land transport among the GCC countries to ease the movement of passengers and goods among them, in addition to other various technical projects to enhance traffic safety and efficiency.