Qatar- Rail projects to cut two million km of travel by car per day

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Doha Metro and rails projects, once completed, will cut two million kilometres of travel by car per day and reduce 258,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, a senior official of Qatar Rail has said.

"When the Metro has been built and put into place, we need a mindset and attitude shift from the current transport scene backed by private cars to Metro.

"At the end, it is not sustainable that everyone has their own car and we have to be very conscious towards the economic and social productivity and environmental protection of the state," Abdulla Abdulaziz Al Subaie, Managing Director and Chairman, Qatar Rail, said, delivering a lecture at Ahmed Bin Mohammed Military College.

He said the Doha Metro, Lusail Light Rail Transit and Long Distance Passenger and Freight projects are expected to be completed on schedule. The 38 stations of Doha Metro will be in highly dense areas around Doha and the reach of Metro service is planned to be broadened by the use of feeder buses to cover neighbourhoods not accessible on foot, he added.

To questions from college students on the efficacy of the rail projects on the life of residents, Al Subaie gave tangible examples of the economic, social and environmental benefits the projects will deliver.

On the economic front, GDP will benefit from reduced time lost in traffic. From a social perspective, a better environment will mean a better quality of life for citizens.

The Metro will save two million km of travel by car per day which means less CO2. The rail projects are expected to help reduce CO2 per year by 258,000 tonnes.

The Metro will provide jobs for many, and help transform Qatar to an advanced country capable of achieving sustainable development, and ensuring a continued and decent standard of living for its people. This means in transport terms ease of movement and access to business, education and leisure facilities in a seamless way while respecting the environment.

"Qatar Rail is equipped with strategies to ensure that the Doha Metro, Lusail Light Rail Transit and Long Distance Passenger and Freight projects are heading to achieve the target start dates," he said. Themed as 'Vision and the Path to Success', the event was also attended by Brigadier Hamad Ahmed Al Nuaimi, Commander of the college, Dr Khaled Al Khater, Dean of the college, and members of the faculty and students.