Three years before the country’s public transportation system is expected to launch, Qatar Rail has unveiled the final designs for the train’s exterior.

Inspired by the swift and sleek Arabian Mare, Qatar Rail is calling its Doha Metro “Al Faras.”

Some 75 driverless trains will be delivered to Qatar from Japan.

Each train consists of three cars. The first car will have gold and family seating (a total of 42 seats). The other two cars will have 88 seats each.

The trains are being designed and manufactured by Kinki Sharyo Co. Ltd. in Osaka.

Tunneling for the Doha Metro is expected to wrap up this fall, and work is already shifting to installing electrical equipment and completing the structure of the 37 stations that make up the first phase.

The first train is scheduled to be delivered to Qatar Rail in the third quarter of 2017, and the system is expected to open to passenger traffic in late 2019 or early 2020, organizers said.

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LRT

Meanwhile, Qatar Rail has also unveiled the design for the Lusail light rail transit system (LRT), calling it “Al Mehmel” for being inspired by a traditional Qatari pearl-fishing boat.

The LRT will consist of 28 tramways being produced by a consortium led by Alstom and QDVC.

LRT work is “35 percent complete,” Qatar Rail said in a statement, adding that completion is set for 2020.

Qatar Rail CEO Saad Al Muhannadi said the unveiling of the designs “is an occasion for us to look at how close we’ve come to bringing our vision to life.”

He added that the projects are “designed and built to world-class standards of modernity and innovation,” but remain “deeply rooted in our country’s history and community.”

The rail company said that by 2030, all three networks – the Doha Metro, Lusail Tram and the long-distance rail, which will link Qatar with the GCC Rail network – are expected to be fully completed.

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