Doha: Qatar Foundation has launched a tram services in Education City which promises to make the campus more ‘green’ when it’s completely operational.
All tram services are free of charge. No special tickets or passes are required. It will operate from 6:30am to 5pm on weekdays. For special events the timing could be extended.
All trams are fully air-conditioned and free WiFi is available on board. Bikes and pets are allowed on the tram as well as eating inside the tram is permitted.
It enables car-less, park-and-ride connections between QF’s schools, universities, centers, and facilities.
When complete, the network’s planned 11.5km stretch with 24 stations, will provide a seamless rail link within and between Education City’s North and South campuses – including via a tunnel under Al Luqta Street.
Led by QF’s Capital Projects Directorate, the Education City Tram has been customised for its surroundings. The 19 state-of-the-art Avenio trams have an onboard energy-storing system that removes the need for overhead power cables and can travel from one stop to the next without a need for charging. Each air-conditioned tram has 64 seats, including seats for people with disabilities. It has standing space for 106 passengers.
The electrically-powered tram system, which uses a groundbreaking form of battery-charging (Modular on board energy storage unit) technology, is open to the public, and in the initial phase 4 trams will carry passengers around QF’s ‘Academic Loop’ – where it’s numerous schools and a couple of universities are located, as well as the Green Spine and the Education City Stadium.
Stations at QF’s three multi-storey car parks will allow the community to park their cars on arrival and use the tram to get to their final destination. There are interchange tram stops / stations that connects to the Doha Metro, and this link will play a key role at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, carrying thousands of football fans to matches at the Education City Stadium.
Qatar Foundation chief operations officer Ghanim Hassan Al-Ibrahim said: “The characteristics of the Education City Tram make it a kind of transport network that demonstrates Qatar’s commitment to harnessing technology for social and environmental benefit.”