HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has selected the final design of the Doha Metro stations during a recent visit to Qatar Railways Co (Qatar Rail).

HH the Emir went through the architectural designs of the Doha Metro, the progress of the execution phases and work flow of the construction phase, presented through models and charts.

HH the Emir viewed the six proposed designs and master plans of the Doha Metro stations before selecting the final design of the stations

Abdulla Abdul Aziz al-Subai, managing director, Qatar Rail and chairman of the executive committee, said: “We are proud of the visit of HH the Emir to Qatar Rail, as we consider it as an encouragement to us all and a motivation to put more efforts in order to provide a project which reflects the position of Qatar as a leader in the region in this field.

“HH the Emir has given instructions to Qatar Rail officers to do their utmost in delivering the project within the timeline, and at the same time to maintain high standards of quality, perfection and integration.

“With this mega project, we are meeting Qatar’s ambitions and vision in creating a country that keeps pace and progress to that of the developed countries.”

Saad Ahmed al-Muhanadi, chief executive officer, Qatar Rail, explained that the design selected by HH the Emir is called “Vaulted Spaces.” It is derived from the historic Islamic architecture by using the old Islamic architectural element in a modern way.

One of the key elements of the design is that it gives the exterior shape of the station, by using modern bright materials to stimulate the interior of the oyster. The levels of the station will be opened to each other to give passengers the feeling of comfort, also merging the functions of lighting and ventilation in the shapes of the arches.

“The visit of HH the Emir is also an additional motivation to Qatar Rail’s staffs and will inspire us to put more efforts in order to be up to the standards, trust and responsibility given to us,” he said.

Al-Muhannadi said works have started in 20 out of the 25 station sites and emergency exits. These include excavation, which has reached 5m in some sites, while in other sites, enabling works have started.

The works on the Passenger and Freight Rail as well as the Doha Metro will be executed simultaneously. The distance covered by long distance trains will be around 350km. the expected speed of passengers’ train will be 220km/h and 120m/h for freight.

The Doha Metro project will be composed of four lines of a total length of 254km, and it will connect Doha to all major cities. The expected speed of the metro will be 80km/h inside the cities while it will be 160km/h outside the cities.