The Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) announced that the Doha Metro will resume services as of Tuesday with a capacity of up to 30 percent, in conjunction with the country entering the fourth stage of easing restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The company stated that, in line with the directives issued by the concerned authorities in the country, Qatar Rail has taken a series of precautionary and operational measures in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Transport and Communications, placing the safety of customers as a top priority.

To ensure a safe journey, we have imposed precautionary measures for Doha Metro users, which include showing Ehteraz App status for passengers, wearing face masks, thermal scanning, and adhering to social distancing following the posters that have been placed in the network. pic.twitter.com/JiiHEEXcai

— Doha Metro & Lusail Tram (@metrotram_qa) August 31, 2020

Precautionary measures

Qatar Rail said that to access stations, passengers will be required to show their Ehteraz app health status and have their temperature checked. Only passengers with green health status and body temperatures below 37.8 C will be permitted entry. The wearing of face masks inside station premises and onboard is mandatory throughout the journey. All measures will be monitored by security and customer service staff. Any person who fails to comply with the safety measures will not be permitted on the network or asked to leave.

Hand sanitizing units have been installed in all stations, near to Travel Card Vending machines, and at platforms. Signage is in place to explain how to keep everyone safe, including social distancing floor signs positioned at queuing points by the Travel Card Vending machines, goldclub, and fare gates. Notices on trains are also in place to reduce overcrowding and elevator capacity will be limited to four persons only with signs in place. Unaccompanied children under the age of 12yrs will not be able to travel on the Metro at this time.

Housekeeping staff are posted across all stations to implement an enhanced cleaning regime. This includes sanitization of all touchpoints at stations and on trains including the Travel Card Vending machines, escalators, and stair rails, and the goldclub offices. Regular disinfection has also been scheduled with Qatar Rail's suppliers.

Retail outlets at stations will also re-open in accordance with government guidelines for commercial premises and food outlets. Eating and drinking will not be allowed on the trains or stations, unless at designated retail outlets, where specific guidelines will be in place for customer safety.

To ensure enforcement of the new procedures, on-site security guards, customer service agents, and revenue protection staff will strictly monitor compliance across all stations and on trains. In the face of non-compliance, the Public Transportation Security Department of the Ministry of Interior (Transport Police) will tend to any incidents and issue fines where passengers refuse to follow the stated precautions.

The use of re-useable contactless Travel Cards helps to further reduce the number of contact touchpoints throughout the journey. Customers can now use debit cards in addition to credit cards to top up online through the website or Qatar Rail App. Passengers should also note that single-use paper travel cards are no longer available under efforts to make Doha Metro more sustainable.

Travel Cards are available for purchase at all metro stations. Pre-loaded Standard Travel Cards are also available at licensed retailers including Al Meera, Lulu, Carrefour, Jumbo Electronics, and Family Food Centre. Goldclub Travel Cards can be purchased from dedicated goldclub offices at all Metro stations.

A full timetable will be in all 37 stations of the Red, Green, and Gold Lines including the newly opened Legtaifiya station.

All lines will return to the same service hours as prior to the lockdown, from 6 am to 11 pm Saturday to Wednesday, 6 am to midnight on Thursday and 2 pm to midnight on Fridays. The frequency of services also remains the same with trains running every 5 minutes across the Green and Gold Lines and every 5 minutes from Al Wakra and Hamad International Airport on the Red Line.

Metrolink will also resume on selected routes initially with plans to open fully. Passengers can easily access information on travel routes on the Qatar Rail App and through Qatar Rail's social media pages.

Metroexpress is also available to use on a limited capacity basis with a maximum of three passengers on board. This service is available via the metroexpress App.

Qatar Rail is committed to providing a safe and seamless journey for travelers on the Doha Metro network. All precautions have been adopted in collaboration with the MOPH to assure passengers' safety.

READ MORE: Phase 4: Doha Metro timings and Karwa bus schedule starting September 1

Source: Qatar News Agency

Editorial credit: Photo Play / Shutterstock.com

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