Travelling across Qatar will never be the same again from tomorrow (December 10) when Qatar Rail is set to start the preview service of the Doha Metro Green Line for the public. Reaching destinations including Souq Waqif, Qatar National Library, Education City Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Hamad Hospital, City Center Doha, Villaggio, and Mall of Qatar is going to be a breeze. Forget traffic jams, searching for parking or paying for parking.
The occasion also coincides with the opening of four more stations on the Red Line - Hamad International Airport, Katara, Qatar University and Lusail, according to Qatar Rail. With this, “test operations on all three Doha Metro lines will have been conducted”, according to the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC). Earlier, Qatar Rail had started services on the Gold Line on November 21, while the Red Line was opened on May 8 this year.
The Green Line runs from Al Mansoura to Al Riffa and comprises a total of 11 stations. The other stations are Msheireb (interchange), Al Bidda (interchange), The White Palace, Hamad Hospital, Al Messila, Al Rayyan Al Qadeem, Al Shaqab, Qatar National Library and Education City. Like the Red and Gold lines, the Green Line will operate from 6am-11pm from Saturday-Thursday, and from 2pm-11pm on Fridays. Metrolink feeder bus services will be available during these timings to transport passengers between the metro stations and areas near them, according to the MoTC. The routes can be found on the Qatar Rail application and the company’s website. Passengers using the Green Line can use any of the two interchange stations, Msheireb and Al Bidda, to switch over to another line. While Msheireb serves as an interchange station for all three lines (Red, Gold and Green), Al Bidda is an interchange station for the Red and Green lines.
People in Qatar can already access two other 2022 World Cup venues, Khalifa International Stadium in Doha and Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, by using Doha Metro’s Gold and Red lines, respectively.
What makes travel by Doha Metro most attractive is the perfectly affordable fare. A Day Pass for all lines costs QR6, while a single trip costs QR2 in the standard and family class, and QR10 in the gold class. This is a big saving for travellers who hitherto used to depend on taxis or limousines. Another attraction is that Metro passengers will not be required to tap in and out when interchanging between lines as long as they remain within the paid area. Ever since the first stretch was opened on May 8 this year, Doha Metro has been a hot favourite, with passenger numbers exceeding 1mn by the end of August. Clearly, Doha Metro is one of the many good things ever happened in Qatar.
