Qatar Rail has awarded the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram operations and maintenance contract to a joint venture partnership of the French company Keolis and infrastructure asset management specialist, RATP.

Jassim Saif Al Suailti, Minister of Transport and Communication and vice chairman of Qatar Rail said; “Aside from their world renowned experience, a well-designed staffing plan, innovative approaches to service delivery and a strong transition experience have all been crucial factors in our selection of KeolisRATP.”

“With a solid history of demonstrated improvements in on-time performance at other agencies and global experience with implementing programs and best practices to ensure the highest levels of fleet maintenance and vehicle appearance, we look forward to working with them in delivering and maintaining a state of the art transport system serving Qatar,” he added.

Qatar Rail will remain accountable, and will oversee the operation and maintenance of the network. Under the terms of the contract, the joint venture will see Keolis and RATP responsible for operating and maintaining both the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram. Qatar Rail will see all activities which will be the operational responsibility of Keolis and RATP.

This will include the day to day running of both networks including operation of the control room, customer service provisions, security and revenue protection and roaming strain staff and drivers. They will also be responsible for the management of three depots on the metro system and one on the tram network.

In addition, they will also be responsible for facilities management across the entire network including stations and depots including first line reporting and service recovery. Training and safety responsibilities of contract staff will also be responsibility of the joint venture. – TradeArabia News Service