* Extended Metro timings from November 11 to December 20
* 35 additional gates installed at nine Metro stations connected to stadiums and fan entertainment areas
From Thursday, residents and visitors would be able to travel on the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram for free with the Hayya Card.
The facility will be available until December 23, covering the entire duration of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 that will be held from November 20 to December 18.
Those without a Hayya Card can buy a travel card at stations and then save time by topping up online or on the Qatar Rail app (iOS and Android).
Then, from November 11, fans can also enjoy extended Metro working hours throughout the tournament, continuing until December 20. The timings will be from 6am to 3am, Saturday to Thursday; and from 9am to 3am on Friday.
Lusail Tram, which connects to the Metro via Legtaifiya station (Red Line), will run extended services from November 17 to December 20. The extended timings will be the same as the Metro's.
Meanwhile, Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) has announced that as part of its preparations for the World Cup, 35 additional gates have been installed at nine Doha Metro stations connected to stadiums and fan entertainment areas. This has been done to meet the expected public turnout and facilitate the movement of fans inside stations, Qatar Rail said in a tweet.
Doha Metro carried 220,000 passengers in 10 hours last Friday, which saw a big turnout of crowds for the Darb Lusail Festival, which included the Bollywood Music Festival at Lusail Stadium. “This marks the highest average ridership per hour in our history, while maintaining the highest safety and performance levels,” Qatar Rail has tweeted.
In a related development, Qatar Rail announced that from November 11 to December 19, the metroexpress on-demand service will be available from 6am until noon, Saturday to Thursday. It will not be available on Fridays during this period.
The Sport City and Al Waab areas will be serviced through the Al Waab QLM Metro station.
On the other hand, fans can enjoy extended metrolink feeder services from November 11 to December 20. Like the Metro, the operating hours will be from 6am to 3am, Saturday to Thursday; and from 9am to 3am on Friday.
As announced by Qatar Rail recently, all Doha Metro carriages will be Standard Class during the World Cup period - starting on November 11 - to maximise train capacity throughout the mega event.
Qatar Rail said the Gold and Family class will be suspended during this period, when a large number of people are expected to use the Metro services.
For further information, one can visit the 'Hayya to Qatar' app or http://qatar2022.qa
Gates at a Doha Metro station.
