A Qatar Rail official says that the $40bn integrated railway project will employ up to 35,000-strong labour force. “The project will require 20,000 to 35,000 labour and we are in the process of coordinating with the Ministry regarding visas,” said Daniel Leckel, Chief Technical Officer at Qatar Rail yesterday. Speaking at a seminar on “The future and challenges of Infrastructure and Transport in Qatar” yesterday at Qatar University, Leckel highlighted the vital role the integrated transport system would play towards a sustainable and advanced country in accordance with Qatar National Vision 2030. He highlighted the need for more choices of transport as the country witnesses dramatic surge in population. New transport choices for Qatar’s increasing population include the Doha Metro, with the first phase slated for completion by 2019 and the light rail transit which is expected to be completed by 2017, he said. To encourage all segments of population to use it, he said the metro system would be attractive, convenient and connected to shopping malls and major destinations in the country. “Implementing the metro system will reduce the carbon footprint of Qatar in a very short period of time, making it an environment friendly country,” he added. Some of the key challenges of the projects include keeping the Doha traffic moving while the construction takes place and importing the raw construction materials. The project will require 800,000 tonnes of steel and 5.5m m3 of concrete. Central Planning Office Director of Planning and Engineering Ruari Maybank focused on how Qatar is approaching the task of designing and building an integrated transport network, how the traffic in Qatar will be managed and the benefits that integrated transport infrastructure will bring. The seminar was organised by the Qatar Road Safety Studies Center (QRSSC) at Qatar University’s College of Engineering, in collaboration with the CPO in the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning. It outlined the latest information from key organisations including the CPO, Ashghal and Qatar Rail, which are responsible for delivering the country’s future transport and infrastructure plans. They highlighted how students particularly could actively participate in the country’s development. “Qatar is an exciting place to be at the moment as it provides valuable opportunities for development that very few countries in the world could offer,” said Director of the QRSSC Dr Khalifa bin Nasser Al Khalifa. College of Engineering Dean Dr Rashid Al Ammari said: “In a city developing as fast as Doha, there will be challenges. One of the main ones is developing in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 while still keeping traditions. We particularly welcome the involvement of our students, who will be the ones responsible for solving these challenges in the future.” Source :Qatar Chronicle

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