*First consignment of trains to arrive before year-end
*First trial run before December
More than 60% of the Doha Metro Phase 1 work has been completed and the project is on schedule, a senior official of Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) has said.
This was revealed during a Delivery Alignment Workshop conducted recently by Qatar Rail with the objective of evaluating the extent of progress till date and exploring all opportunities to accelerate progress and ensure that timely delivery is secured.
The workshop was attended by Qatar Rail’s executive management, the project delivery team and project management consultants. It was held as part of Qatar Rail’s commitment to delivering the railway programme on schedule, it said in a press statement yesterday.
The workshop was also attended by HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti, who followed the discussions as the workshop participants developed a set of prioritised actions, which are being now implemented and will be crucial to the timely delivery of the Qatar Rail project.
Opening the workshop, Qatar Rail managing director and CEO Abdulla al-Subaie said: “We are very pleased with the progress of the Metro Phase 1 programme as it approaches 62% overall completion. Over 280mn man-hours have been worked and the 10 Metro civil packages have now progressed to the next stage of construction, which will see all the 37 stations undergo mechanical, electrical and architectural fit-outs, a colossal undertaking and notable milestone for a landmark project.”
The completion of a 4km ‘trackwork’ railway test section along the Metro Red Line, together with the extensive progress made at the Main Depot at Ras Bu Fentas, “signals readiness for the arrival of the first consignment of trains before the year-end”, he said.
“The civil structures are 95% complete, and scheduled for completion by the end of the year. The railway systems installation is on progress and the first trains will be tested on the test section of the Red Line before the end of this year.”
Daniel Leckel, chief of programme delivery, said: “The progress rate is remarkable. With currently more than 52,000 people working to deliver Metro Phase 1, the Accident Frequency Rate is 0.036, which is most probably the lowest ever achieved in such a mega project. This is the benefit of a very rigorous health and safety system and the unwavering effort of all project partners to train, educate and supervise the workforces. From the onset, safety has been at the helm of our operation.”
As part of the “forward outlook” for the remainder of 2017, three of the 37 Metro stations, Al Doha Al Jadeda, Al Qassar and Economic Zone, are expected to be ready for final inspection by the Civil Defence by December.
