Hisham Aljundi
Doha
Doha Metro will provide cheap rides starting at QR2 in the first year of operation, helping low-income people save travel expenses significantly, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Rail Eng Abdullah al Subaie said.
He was briefing the members of the Central Municipal Council (CMC), along with other officials of Qatar Rail, on Tuesday.
The metro rail system will also help school children save transportation charges and time of travel. Now, the parents pay an average amount of QR300 every month as transportation cost for their school going children, while the Doha Metro will provide them travel facility for QR114 a month, Eng Subaie said. Now, students spend approximately two hours in school bus every day, while on metro, the travel time will be much less, he said.
Doha Metro is expected to bring down traffic congestion in Doha by half, according to Eng Subaie. It can absorb at least 20 percent of the total population of Qatar in the first phase, he said, adding that less than one percent of the population is now using the public transport system.