Qatar Rail, the company overseeing the construction of the country’s integrated railway network, said the work at the Doha Metro line was progressing well with a first-phase operational launch on track in 2019 involving three lines - Red, Green and Gold.

Announcing the project's milestones, Qatar Rail revealed that about 61km of tunnelling had already been already completed out of the targeted 113 km powered by 21 underground Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs).

Outlining the future plans, Qatar Rail said the entire tunneling work would be completed next year and soon after that it will award MEP (Mechanical, electrical and plumbing) contracts for the project.

Similarly, contracts for the Doha Metro and Lusail Light Rail Transit Operator and Facility Management are also expected to be awarded next year.

The Qatari company has set an ambitious target of completing 50 per cent of the project work over the next year. A total of 37 stations are under construction and the project has more than 27,000 work force on site.

On its 2015 achievements, Abdulla Abdulaziz Al Subaie, the managing director and chairman of the executive committee of Qatar Rail, said the tunnelling for the Lusail light rail system has been fully completed.

Among next year’s more notable milestones will be the arrival of full scale mock ups of the new Doha Metro train and Lusail Tram in the city for the first time.

"Accountability, teamwork and transparency are the values that guide Qatar Rail’s consistent growth. A strong work ethic has been the backbone of our transformation with world-class efficiency and effectiveness," stated Al Subaie.

Lauding the company’s on-site achievements, CEO Saad Al Muhannadi, said: "Five years into its journey, Qatar Rail is moving with pace, progress and purpose across all of its mega projects, consistently readapting and reallocating its talents, resources and partnerships within stringent timeline and budget provisions."

"At the center of its progress, the Doha Metro project has recorded several milestones, starting with tunneling works that completed 61km out of 113km; a quantum leap in the tunneling works that broke a Guinness World record for the largest number of TBMs operating at the same time under one city, to the backdrop of breakthrough tunneling and excavation progress achieved across the 37 metro stations," he stated.

Al Muhannadi said Qatar Rail has opened a wealth of opportunities for the involvement of local suppliers and partners in the stations architectural works through a slew of awareness days; an ideal knowledge exchange platform for the Metro project’s current and prospect partners and stakeholders.
 
Qatar Rail, he stated, has begun implementing a comprehensive 2016 strategic business planning process and balanced scorecard performance reporting system to maximise program management efficiency and corporate performance.

Under this process, it has commissioned a ‘Business Efficiency Review’ to evaluate its business plan, performance and delivery model, ensuring optimal ‘value for money’ in its delivery timely, quality and cost effective program of work, he added.-TradeArabia News Service