Qatar Rail Inks Railway Project Deals

Doha , August 12 (QNA) - Qatar Railway Company QRail signed Sunday a number of contracts to finish off phase one of its Metro rail way project, at a cost of QR1.48 billion. QRail signed a contract for enabling works package with a coalition contracting companies consisting of PORR-SBG-HBK, worth QR288 million. Jacobs, Louis Berger/Egis Rail and Hill International will be responsible for consultancy and managing different lines of the project at a total cost of QR1.14 billion. Managing Director of QRail Abdulla bin Abdulaziz Turki Al-Subaie said that signing the contracts marks the beginning of enabling works. He noted that, so far, everything was going according the schedule. Main works begin on the first Quarter of 2013, Al Subaie said. The managing director said that the signing of the contracts was a step closer towards realizing the vision of HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. Al Subaie said that the project will be one of the biggest ever infra-structure projects carried out in the state of Qatar. The project is to create a world class railway system that environmentally friendly in the State of Qatar. In response to a question from Qatar News Agency regarding the details of the schedule, Al Subaie said railway project in Lusail should be concluded on August 2016. As for the metro projects which links all of Qatar together, the managing director said it should be concluded on October 2019. For his part, QRail CEO Saad Ahmed Al Mohannadi said that signing the deals represented a transition from the vision and the planning stage to realizing that vision. He said that the deal also reflected beyond doubt that the State of Qatar was moving firmly towards a more prosperous future, drawn by the country's wise leadership. He also expressed his pride at the deal. The CEO added that the Qatari private sector was making a solid contribution to the project, with more than 20 companies carrying out consultancy works. Chairman of PORR-SBG-HBK Sheikh Ali bin Hamad Al Thani said that he was proud of being one of the first contractors with QRail. He praised the latter for the work it was doing in the metro project, adding that it was operating at a world-class level. For their part, a representative from Jacobs Engineering said that the company will work hard to cooperate successfully with QRail to get the project done. As for the representative of Louis Berger/Egis Rail, he said that his company was keen to work on the golden line of the metro project because it showed incredible ambition and drive. He stressed that the project will boost the Qatari economy and boost the tourism sector in particular. The Metro project consists of four main lines, each given a particular color. They are red, green, golden and Blue. The railway stretches over 212 km, 98 of which will be underground, 81 suspended and 33 will be on the ground. The total distance covered by the rail way networks will be 350 km and the speed of the trains will reach 220 km/hour for transport and 120 km/h for cargo. (QNA)