Work begins on Qatar's epic rail project

Work has begun

Rumoured to be costing over USD$36.6 billion (QR133.5 billion) and estimated to take six years, preliminary work has begun on Qatar's ambitious metro and rail project that could see high-speed rail transport transform the emirate into a major contender for the 2022 football World Cup.

The rail project is expected to be finished in phases over the next six years with three major sections being the focus of the scheme - the metro network within Greater Doha, the over-ground railways covering the whole of Qatar and then, linking it to the rest of the GCC region and cargo trains.

The metro rail section of the project is expected to cover a total distance of 354km with the trains running at speeds of 80 to 160km per hour. The ground rail network will, on the other hand, cover a total distance of 345km and traverse the entire country with passenger electric trains running at between 220 and 350km per hour.

This network will be linked to the GCC railways by 2017. Cargo trains covering major economic centres in Qatar will be running at 120km per hour.

There are also plans to build a connection from Bahrain to Saudi Arabia via a 40-kilometer causeway, set to be one of the world's longest.

German aid

At the end of 2009, Qatar and Bahrain signed a USD$25 billion contract with German rail operator Deutsche Bahn to build the region's rail and underground lines.

It is said to be one of the biggest-ever foreign deals for German industry with the Qatar project would open up "great opportunities" to do business across the region, as "over the next two decades hundreds of billions of euros would be invested in infrastructure."

For the first four years of the project, Deutsche Bahn will provide the main leadership, with the assistance of 50 engineers and managers from Germany who will relocate to Qatar to aid in the development.

The Qatar network project was inspired by the success of the Dubai Metro that was built by a  consortium of Japanese companies including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Obayashi Corporation and the Kajima Corporation.

Relevant articles:

Qatar's $25bn rail project | Deutsche Bahn secures ME contract | More delays for the Dubai Metro?

Timon Singh

Timon Singh is a graduate of Liverpool University where he received a degree in Social and Economic History. He has previously worked for BBC Magazines on BBC Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, the publication for the popular genealogy show.

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