Qatar’s $35bn rail plans to be ‘ready by 2020′

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It has been reported that Qatar’s rail plans are set to be complete by 2020, in time for the World Cup being hosted there in 2022.

The budget for the rail plans has been estimated at around $35bn.

The project team are aiming to complete the works early to ‘ensure adequate time for testing and inspections’, Geoff Mee, deputy CEO of Qatar Railways Company said.

“We made a promise as a country, and we have committed to deliver a railway system fit for the 2022 World Cup, but actually the target isn’t 2022. The target is 2020,” he told a joint Qatar-Korea transport seminar in Doha.

Geoff Mee said the company hopes that Korea will share their expertise in the construction of the 358km line.

Around 120km of this rail line will be underground and will include over 100 stations. Trains travelling on the line will be able to reach speeds of up to 350km/h.

The Lusail Light Rail Transit system may also feature Korean works, which will be linked to the current Doha system.

The Lusail Light Rail Transit system is central to the transportation infrastructure of Lusail City, one of the largest and most ambitious real estate development projects being undertaken in the Middle East and North Africa region.

It will feature 30km of track, 7km of which are underground, 24 stations (7 of which are underground), service depots, and a viaduct.

Plans are also in the pipeline for an underground West Bay People Mover project which will be 12km long, have 19 stations, two flagship stations and maintenance facilities.

In April, Qatari Diar and Qatar Railways Co signed a $42.5m deal with US engineering firms Parsons and Aecom to manage the construction of a light rail transit system.

The Lusail Light Rail system will feed into the Gulf state’s Lusail City development.

Geoff Mee, deputy CEO of Qatar Railways Company will be outlining Qatar’s rail plans at the Middle East Rail 2012 conference in January in 2012.

On 22 November 2009 Deutsche Bahn and Qatari signed a contract to build high-speed railway lines and underground transport networks in Qatar and Bahrain.

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