(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Qatar Rail has placed orders for about 70 'train sets' (coaches and at least one engine make a train set) with a Japanese consortium, said a senior official of the company.
"A Japanese consortium of Kinki Shary and Mitsubishi Corporation has won the bid for supplying the metro system and rolling stock, including engine, cars and other facilities," said Hamad Ibrahim Al Bishri, Deputy CEO of Qatar Rail, adding, "although the number of train sets is not defined exactly as we are still doing some recalculations, but it will be
around 70."
Al Bishri was talking to The Peninsula yesterday on the sidelines of a press meet called to announce the progress of the ambitious Doha Metro project.
Doha Metro completes 20pc of tunnelling work
Doha: Qatar Rail announced that nearly 20 percent of the tunnelling work (18.6km) on the Doha Metro project have already been completed, and by the year-end, about 30 percent of the civil works, including the ongoing tunnelling process on the public transit project, will be finished, officials said at press conference yesterday.
The company, which overseas the construction of the country's integrated railway network has received all the 21 Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) from a German company, Herrenknecht. Among them 17 are already operational, and the remaining four, dedicated for the Gold Line of Doha Metro, are being assembled at an entry point near Al Sudan intersection in Al Sadd area.
The work on the tunnelling phase is progressing well in advance with expectations to successfully accomplish by the second quarter of 2017.
Meanwhile, according to information provided by Qatar Rail, currently, there are about 18,500 migrant labourers, mostly from Asian countries, are working at different sites of the project.
Asked about labour rights and well-being, Hamad Ibrahim Al Bishri, Deputy CEO at Qatar Rail, said: "There are special committees who constantly monitor all the issues related to labour rights, such as food, accommodation and other facilities, through regular inspections at work sites and labour camps. In addition to main contractors, we have also put a system in place to check the labour accommodations and other related facilities of the sub-contractors even before awarding them any contracts to ensure that they must practice the highest labour standards."
Abdulla Abdulaziz Al Subaie, Managing Director of Qatar Rail, said: "Qatar Rail has overcome many challenges to launch a successful tunnelling phase at Doha Metro project. Our philosophy is to talk about what we have achieved, rather than share intangible promises. Today, we are pleased to announce the completion of nearly 20km of tunnels out of 113km."
He said that Qatar Rail has already awarded contracts worth QR65bn ($17.85bn) for the first phase of Doha Metro consisting of four different lines, namely Red Line (Coast Line); Green Line (Education Line); Gold Line (Historic Line) and Blue Line (City Line).
According to reports, about a couple of months ago, there was a flooding in a tunnel being dug near Al Bidda station, which located close to the Corniche area.
Commenting on such complications that may occur during the TBMs operations underground, Saad Ahmed Al Muhannadi, CEO of Qatar Rail, said: "Technical hitches cannot be avoided while implementing such a huge and complex project, however, they can be dealt with in an efficient, effective and timely manner. We were proud of the team who handled a flooding situation at Al Bidda station earlier this year, which had no delay or impact on the Doha Metro progress. When and if such incidents occur, it is our duty to react immediately."
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