Advanced Construction Technology Services (ACTS), a leading consulting organisation in the field of construction materials and geotechnical engineering, said it has completed geotechnical investigations and geophysical surveys on five construction packages of the metro lines being executed in Doha, Qatar.

The Doha Metro will be one of the most advanced rail transit systems in the world. It will have four lines – namely the Red, Green, Gold and Blue metro lines – planned over a total length of 240 km, and will feature 106 stations over the whole network.

Designed to cover the Greater Doha area, the metro will be underground for the central city networks, and will mainly be at ground level or elevated whilst at the outskirts, said a statement from ACTS.

In line with the terms of the investigation contracts, ACTS worked on the Red Line South Elevated and at-grade with FCC Construction - Yüksel Insaat - Archirodon Construction (Overseas) Company - Petroserv Limited Joint Venture, whilst carrying out geotechnical investigations and engineering services along with the related testing works on another four of the main metro construction packages.

According to ACTS, the geotechnical investigation contracts involved drilling more than 400 boreholes, reaching a maximum depth of 60 m.

The company deployed 16 drilling rigs, state-of-the-art field testing equipment, and six geophysical teams comprising expert geophysicists for the project, said a top official.

The work package included pumping tests and necessary in-situ tests at the stations and along the tunnel/elevated structures alignment, in addition to its geotechnical investigations and geophysical survey (for cavity mapping) assignments.

Khaled Awad, the chairman of ACTS, said: "Today’s construction projects call for specialisation and the adoption of game-changing technologies to ensure the delivery of the highest quality work. Our unique specialisation in surface and underground rail projects positioned us well for this multi-project challenge."

"We are pleased with our strong resources in rail geo-engineering which perfectly complement our vast experience in concrete technology, quality control and testing for such projects," remarked Awad.

"It is this portfolio of knowledge-based capabilities and vertical specialisation that is enabling us to keep pace with the demands of modern infrastructure projects in the GCC, including the Doha Metro," he added.-TradeArabia News Service