Qatar, which has a high rate of road traffic accidents, will be able to improve its rating significantly when the country's eagerly-awaited Metro rail service is launched in a few years from now.
The benefits of a metro rail service are beyond the imagination of ordinary people, particularly in major crowded cities, an expert in the field has said.
He said Delhi Metro saved Rs 10,364 crores (QR 6.12bn) last year in terms of money saved on account of fuel, pollution, health, accidents and time. It has helped keep thousands of cars off the roads every day.
Qatar is now in the process of building a massive rail network, including a metro.
Speaking to Gulf Times, Jitendra Tyagi, director of works, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said metro rail was safer, cheaper and faster. Citing examples from his long association with Delhi Metro, Tyagi said metro rail can reduce the number of road accidents in Qatar and ensure passenger safety.
He encouraged the public to use metro rail as the primary mode of transport when it is operational as it will have multifaceted benefits for the country. He noted that the Doha metro can solve most of the traffic problems that the country was facing at present.
Tyagi said: “ In 2014 Delhi metro completed 12 years. The Delhi Metro has greatly impacted the accident figures in the city and brought them down significantly. The annual reduction in fatal accidents was 125 in 2014 as against the previous year. The annual reduction in terms of the total number of accidents was 937 the same year."
He continued: “As a result of the expansion of Delhi Metro, the accident rate has further come down. Again, it was instrumental in keeping nearly 390,000 vehicles off roads in 2014. It has also helped reduce air pollution and provide speedy transportation for the people.”
The official also pointed out that the money saved from time and fuel due to decongestion as a result of Delhi Metro was Rs 491 crores in 2014. Similarly, savings from reduction in pollution was Rs 489 crores. In fact, the total savings from all these benefits was Rs 10, 364 crores in 2014. All the figures are based on a daily ridership of 2,700,000 people.
Tyagi pointed out that convenience, safety and affordability were the major advantages of a metro rail system. “People can get connected to different places in the city at a cheaper cost. It is faster than road transport in cities which witness heavy traffic. Moreover, it is very safe compared to road transport.”
He also highlighted that metro rail in Doha will lead to the development of different regions of the country. “As Qatar is a small country, the metro can connect most parts of the city and its outskirts which will result in huge development of the whole country in many ways,” he added.
Tyagi recently visited Doha to speak at a technical seminar conducted by an Indian expatriate organisation.

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