Find Out About Alternatives To Moving Inside Qatar During The World Cup
To ensure a smooth experience for the fans of the World Cup in Qatar, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the organizer of the World Cup, announced a set of measures to manage and organize the transportation process during the tournament, in light of the expectations that hundreds of thousands of fans from around the world will attend the World Cup.
During a press conference held yesterday in Doha, the organizers reviewed details of the various transportation options available to fans during the World Cup, and the procedures for each.
The conference touched on the transportation options available to serve the fans coming through Hamad and Doha International Airports, including buses, the Doha Metro, and taxis, in addition to requesting taxis through smart applications. Also, express buses will operate from both airports to help the public reach their places of residence. , and to the tourist attractions in the center of the capital.
Regarding the movement of fans on match days, the tournament organizers recommended that residents of Qatar use their own vehicles to reach the tournament sites, whenever possible while inviting visitors to use the Doha Metro and public buses, as direct bus services to the stadiums will be operated from 5 locations across Doha, and other main residence venues.
General Instructions
The conference participants, representatives of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Transportation, Qatar Railways Company (Rail), the "Karwa" transportation company, and the Public Works Authority discussed general guidelines for the public regarding daily movement during the tournament, transportation options and the public transportation working hours that will be extended during the tournament, and the streets that will be designated for traffic.
The conference dealt with transportation in the central area of Doha, where Corniche Street will be designated for pedestrians starting from November 1, in preparation for hosting various activities for the fans of the tournament.
The speakers recommended that all fans use public transportation to attend the Corniche events or the FIFA Fan Festival that will be held in Al Bidda Park, where bus services will be operated to enable fans to move between the entertainment sites, as well as the presence of metro stations serving these areas.
The free shuttle buses started their operations to transport passengers between Souq Waqif Metro Station and Al Bida Park. Fans can take advantage of this service to reach different locations via the Second and Third Ring Roads, and it also links accommodations with the event areas.
The organizers announced that vehicles carrying public transport and private transport plates (black) will be diverted away from the central Doha area. This system is scheduled to be applied during the tournament period daily. But those who own only one car, in addition to public transport vehicles and emergency services cars, will be excluded from this procedure.
People with disabilities
The participants in the conference spoke about facilitating access and movement for people with disabilities, based on the keenness of the World Cup organizers to host a version of the World Cup that suits the needs of everyone, and is characterized by easy access for fans with disabilities.
The press conference dealt with allocating a route for the use of buses and taxis on the A-Ring Road, where other categories of vehicles are prohibited from using it, and unauthorized vehicles will be fined if this route is used.
With regard to fans coming to the country by land, the conference participants indicated that the competent authorities will announce at a later time the details of entry through the Abu Samra land crossing between the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Executive Director of Transportation Operations at the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, Engineer Abdulaziz Al-Mawlawi, said that transportation operations are concentrated in major axes. First, metro operations will cover 37 stations to all stadiums and event areas. In addition to that, buses will work continuously during the tournament period to cover the stadiums in addition to the 3,000 taxis, and 15,000 cars belonging to the Uber and Careem applications.
Al-Mawlawi added, in a statement to Al-Jazeera Net, that the State of Qatar has prepared bus stops in the streets to attract those wishing to take public transport vehicles, as well as its support for the "Park and Move" initiative, which exists in many locations.
Multiple tips
Al-Mawlawi gave lots of advice to the fans of the World Cup, including planning trips in advance, choosing the appropriate means of transport for the different stadiums, allocating sufficient time for the movement to avoid any delays due to crowding, and sharing private cars among friends by moving more than one person in private cars, as well as following the official websites to find out any information required to provide safe transportation for everybody.
On the other hand, the Head of the Doha City Design Team, Mohamed Ali Al-Marri, said that more than 6 million square meters of parking have been equipped to serve the championship buses and "Park and Move" vehicles.
To develop a healthier lifestyle, Al Marri talked about allocating 2,131 pedestrian and bicycle paths in most of the country's local road and highway projects without risks under the plan of humanizing cities and making them pedestrian friendly.
As for Mohammed Al-Obaidli, Chief Operating Officer of Karwa, he confirmed the operation of 2,300 buses every day during the World Cup, in addition to stadium services that will operate during match times, as well as Metrolink services linked to the Doha Metro.
Bus types
Al-Obaidli explained that championship buses are divided into many types. The first of which is transportation service from metro stations to stadiums, especially stadiums that are far from the metro, such as Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Al Janoub in Al Wakra, and Al Thumama. The second one is buses that serve the “Park and Move” initiative, as well as express buses that go directly to the stadium. He pointed out that Karwa buses will transport fans to the stadiums 4 hours before the start of the matches and 90 minutes after their end.
On the other hand, Abdullah Al-Sulaiti, Director of Operations Affairs at the Rail, said that private parking spaces will be provided next to Doha Metro stations from November 10 to December 23, with a capacity of more than 18,000 cars.
Regarding the way to enter the Doha Metro during the tournament, Al-Sulaiti explained that holders of Haya cards and stadium tickets will be allowed free transportation 10 days before the start of the tournament and 5 days after its end. It is expected that the Doha Metro will transport about 50% of the fans of the tournament.
