Doha Metro will play a crucial role in the tournament transport connecting fans and visitors to stadia and important destinations in Qatar.

Qatar Rail will deploy 110 metro trains and increase daily operating hours to 21 hours to accommodate a projected increase in passenger numbers during the World Cup.

During the competition, it anticipates about 700,000 daily commuters, or about six times the usual daily ridership.

“A workforce of over 10,000 people will be working for Doha Metro to ensure a smooth operation and safety and security of passengers,” said Minister of Municipality Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, who is also Managing Director and CEO of Qatar Rail. 

There are now six instead of three train carriages on the Red Line. 

This was as Al Subaie addressed the media in Doha on Tuesday as part of Qatar Rail’s World Cup preparations. The meeting was the second town hall and stakeholders meeting with the theme of “Safe and Effective Crowd Management at Metro stations.”

Speaking at the event, Al Subaie emphasised the importance of safe and efficient crowd control at the stations for ensuring passenger safety and a positive customer experience throughout the World Cup.

“This meeting comes as we are less than two months away from the start of the World Cup 2022. Qatar Rail is on track with its readiness and preparations for this event, as the Doha Metro is a key component in the integrated transport plan for this global event hosted by Qatar,” said Al Subaie. 

“Doha Metro started operations in 2019. Our state-of-the-art driverless system was specifically designed and built to handle large numbers of passengers, and to handle major events. The Doha Metro has already been tested through several large events,” he added.

Crowd management is, in the viewpoint of the organisers, the key to a safe and hassle-free travel experience, and it cannot be accomplished without close coordination, teamwork, and support from stakeholders, he noted.

More than 1 million visitors are expected to flock to Qatar for the World Cup later this year.

The world’s biggest sporting event is being hosted in the Middle East region for the first time in its history, and will be kicking off at the iconic Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar on 20 November.