The Doha Metro network is ready to handle 500,000 expected daily passengers during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which is nearly five to six times its current ridership, said HE the Minister of Municipality Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie, who is also CEO of Qatar Rail.
Other measures include installing line barriers at all 37 stations, advanced monitoring systems for managing incidents and emergencies, and a minute-by-minute simulation model for ridership at each station, in addition to several other scenarios planned. The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) director general Yasir Jamal said: “Last year, we tested the network with Qatar Rail and have broken records in some of the events such as at the Lusail Stadium, where Qatar Rail has been able to manage, safely and securely, up to 47,000 fans without any incidents.”
The exceptional performance level in those tests is, in part, the result of training more than 4,000 staff for almost 100,000 hours to date, which Keolis Group International CEO Bernard Tabary said “were trained to handle all sorts of situations and interactions with all sorts of passengers.” As for the security of passengers and fans during the tournament, director of Transportation Security Department at the Ministry of Interior, Lieutenant Colonel Salem al-Naimi, assured that all operational and security-related plans have been put in place in an integrated manner and have been designed to tackle all potential challenges ahead, including crowd management situations.