Fast, modern, clean and free. Getting around Qatar will be extremely easy, a country that has taken on the challenge of renovating all its infrastructures to organize a World Cup that leaves an extraordinary legacy and an innovative and efficient mobility model.
The organization of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar estimates that the tournament will attract about 2 million visitors to the country, a challenge for a capital that has been completely remade.
“Given the expectation of receiving between 1.5 and 2 million people in a month during the championship, we analyzed the capacity of our infrastructures in public transport, in the metro, what we could do to help complete the service and meet with the demands of the tournament”, highlights Thani Al Zhaarra, head of mobility for Qatar 2022.
Under this premise, the country set out a plan to have infrastructures in 2030 in which technological innovation, sustainability and urban development were a hallmark.
“It is estimated that we have invested a total of 200,000 million dollars in infrastructure and transport. We see the World Cup as a milestone for our future, but this investment goes beyond the tournament for us,” he adds.
How to move during Qatar 2022?
In other World Cups already held, the stadiums have been located in various cities, even various countries, with venues separated by hundreds of kilometers away, but in Qatar 2022 the 64 matches of the tournament will take place, for the first time in history, in a distance of just 55 kilometers.
This gives clear advantages. Fans will be able to stay in the same place and be able to watch all the games using only public transport, players and technical staff will not waste time on long trips, being able to focus on their preparation and in terms of security, it will be better controlled.
In addition, with the entry visa to the country ‘Hayya Card’, visitors will be able to use all available public transport for free.
“Once you arrive at the airport just for being a fan, you will have free public transport, be it the metro or bus, which will take you to the central areas or to the accommodation areas,” adds Al Zhaarra.
Fast and smart transport
Doha will have 79 kilometers of metro distributed in 3 lines, the red, the green and the gold, in a total of 37 stations. There are 110 trains with direct access to five of the eight World Cup stadiums, which will have free bus services or whose distance can be covered on foot.
Its innovative driverless mobility system will provide service almost 24 hours a day during the tournament and will operate at full capacity from 10am to 2am, almost the entire day.
In this plan, sustainability has been vital. “For us it is something very important. We have tried, for example, to make our bus fleet fully electric and sustainable”, he highlights.
In the metro, in addition, fans will have 30 minutes of free Wi-Fi a day, in case they need to consult any data or location.
As for trams, the city has three main networks.
The Lusail Tram will have 4 lines differentiated by colors -pink, purple, turquoise and orange- and perfectly coordinated with the Doha metro. Twenty-five modern trams with capacity for 250 people that will link the city of Lusail -where the opening match and the grand final will be played, among other matches-, with the north of the capital.
For its part, the Education City Tram operates in the area of the Qatar Foundation, one of the main tourist centers of the city and home to one of the stadiums of the tournament. There are 11.5 kilometers of line with capacity for 180 passengers.
Finally, the Msheireb Tram operates in the center of the city and runs in a circular way through the smart neighborhood of Msheireb, a few steps from the capital’s souk, the main attraction for tourists.
On the sidelines, visitors will have access to a completely new road network, a taxi service and vehicles with private drivers, water taxis to link the bay areas and the classics of micromobility such as bicycles, skates and electric motorcycles. To rent.
The key, planning the trip
From the airport there are many options to get to the city. The metro, buses and private transport are fast. The hotels also manage transfer services between the airport and the accommodations.
Once in the city, it is best to get around the center of Doha on foot – West Bay, Souq Waqif/La Corniche and Al Bidda Park – as it will be easier to visit the main tourist attractions and restaurants of the city, while margin of the Fan fest areas for fans with giant screens and specific activities. Although it is best to walk, there are bus services that connect all areas.
“Qatar will be the smallest country in the world to host such an important event. And the proximity of these places, of these eight excellent stadiums, allows you to attend more than two games in one day, but you have to plan your trip. So my last piece of advice is that you should plan your trip in advance. And they will have all the means of transportation available to move you from one point to another”, he concludes.
To this end, the organization has not wanted to leave anything to chance and in the mobile application for the mandatory visa, the ‘Hayya Card’, they have included a useful trip planner with real-time bus and metro schedules, the possibility of reserve seats, mobility alerts and the free fan pass.
Information of: EFE
