TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
Mowasalat (Karwa) CEO Fahad Al Qahtani has said that the successful completion of a massive operation to test over 2,300 tournament service buses across 80 routes over two days recently demonstrates the country’s readiness to deliver seamless and efficient transportation during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
A massive workforce, specially trained for the tournament bus services, went on the road on 21-22 September, connecting 25 major depots and operation hubs for Qatar 2022, including Souq Waqif, the Fan Zones, West Bay, Umm Besher, Barwa Madinatna, and Barahat Al-Janoub.
In a statement to the teams involved, Fahad Al Qahtani, CEO of Mowasalat (Karwa), said: "The successful completion of this massive exercise to test Qatar’s transportation readiness for Qatar2022 is further proof of our country’s readiness to host the global event. Once again, we have demonstrated that not only will the overall Qatar 2022 experience of visiting fans be unlike anything they have seen before, but it will also be enhanced by Mowasalat’s seamless and efficient transportation support.”
The goal of this test drive was to put the road network through its paces with a bus volume comparable to that expected for the World Cup. The exercise also tested the effectiveness of the last-mile support network as well as the various pedestrian crossing points.
Services to and from the major World Cup stadiums, transportation on the arterial road network within Doha and its environs, and airport connectivity services were all tested on both days. The exercise also included testing connectivity with other more distant depots, such as those in Al Khor, Mesaimeer, and Wadi Abu Saleel.
The Ministry of Interior (MoI) and Ashghal also provided unwavering support to Mowasalat (Karwa) in this massive operation by closely collaborating in activities such as exercise preplanning, enforcement of parking restrictions at bus stops for private vehicles, and management of nodes with pedestrian conflict.