Qatar Rail said that it had completed the excavation works for the upcoming underground stations at Lusail besides the bridge at Al Khor Highway as part of its Light Rail Transport (LRT) project.

The project, which will be cater to the Lusail new city, comprises four operating lines, totaling 33 km of network and including 37 stations (of which 10 are underground stations).

The LRT would also be connected to the Doha Metro Red Line North via two main stations, Lusail Marina/the Pearl and Lusail's main station, which would facilitate transportation from and into Lusail city.

The work is underway to implement the final phase of the LRT Lusail project, which includes the rolling stock system, stated Qatar’s Minister of Transport Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti after a visit to the work sites.

He was accompanied by Abdulla Abdulaziz Al Subaie, the managing director of Qatar Rail, Saad Al Muhannadi, Qatar Rail’s CEO and Hamad Al Bishri, the deputy CEO of the company.

The Lusail LRT is the most advanced one introduced by Qatar Rail, will provide an efficient and pleasurable commuting system for the future inhabitants of Lusail City.

Lusail is becoming the most unique city in Qatar and the region especially since it is one of the central real estate development projects undertaken in the Mena region. The development of this ambitious city, located on the waterfront, north of Doha, continues to extend across more than a 35-sq-km area, set to include over 500,000 people.

On the progress of the project, Al Subaie said: "To date, more than 7 km of the construction of tunnels has been completed and the main civil works of 7 underground stations have also been achieved.”

"The LRT project is one of the most important ventures that benefit the real estate development projects in Lusail City and the project is progressing as scheduled. It is pivotal for the transport infrastructure in the country and reflects the promising vision of Qatar," he stated.

"We have so far completed 100 per cent of the excavation works, 98 per cent of the structure of underground stations for Lusail project and 100 per cent of the bridge that crosses over the Al Khor Highway," explained Al Subaie.

The minister later inspected the LRT tunnels and went along 4 km of underground trace and four underground stations. The visit included a check for the viaduct that crosses over the Al Khor highway. This bridge will allow the LRT network to join the train storage and maintenance facilities located in front of Lusail, on the West side of the highway.

Al Muhannadi said: "The next stage of this project would see the delivery of 37 stations civil works, the internal architecture, the mechanical and electrical equipment, the track, the power supply, the maintenance facilities and the trains."-TradeArabia News Service