How does Qatar face the challenge of transporting World Cup fans?

The State of Qatar has completed its preparations 

in terms of equipping stadiums, roads, bridges, subways, bike paths and public parks, and in record time a railway network for metro trains was established, in addition to equipping and expanding Hamad International Airport. 

To welcome more than a million fans on the occasion of the FIFA World Cup. 2022, whose matches will start on November 20 and last for 29 days.

, Qatar has spent about $220 billion on infrastructure and projects.

 According to government data, this number is the highest ever in the history of the World Cup, and the movement of crowds of visitors, who will constitute an increase equivalent to about 50% of the population of 2.95 million people, is a challenge that has been overcome.

 According to the concerned authorities, the buses that transport the football fans since their arrival at the airport, Doha port and Abu Samra land port, to places Accommodation, stadiums and entertainment areas, as well as metro services, taxis and other means of transportation.

 Qatar’s plan is distinguished with regard to transportation and the transport of fans It is absolutely free for everyone who holds the Haya card, which is imposed on the entry of every visitor to the country from the beginning of next November. 

The longest flight between the stadiums (between Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor in the north, and Al Janoub in Al Wakrah in the south is one hour, and fans, players, and officials of the participating teams will not need to take domestic flights. 

The president of the Argentine Estudiantes Club, Juan Cestian Veron (former international player) considered the Cup championship The world in Qatar said that it will be a wonderful version and completely different from the previous versions, because it has the features that make it unique from others, and the Argentine star said during the stars chat on the sidelines of the Aspire Academy Summit.

 They need to travel long as in other versions in order to follow the matches, and the most important will be for the players who will not have to travel to the matches in the advanced roles The tournament is held in a close geographical area, and this will have a positive impact from the technical point of view

 Doha Metro is a bet The Doha Metro will be a bet in terms of transportation and the movement of football fans, according to officials and observers.

 During the tournament, it is expected that the transport movement will multiply six times if the situation is compared to what it is at the present time. 

Al-Subaie’s words came in a panel discussion organized by Qatar Rail on the fourth of this month, and they discussed “safe and effective crowd management in metro stations,” and the head of the Operations Affairs Sector explained In the company “Rail” Abdullah Saif Al-Sulaiti, in the same episode, increased the metro’s working hours during the tournament to 21 hours per day to receive the largest number of visitors and fans and provide them with the best transportation services.

 Doha Metro, the service of linking 5 stadiums, through stations very close to the stadiums of Education City, Ahmed Bin Ali, 974, Lusail and Khalifa International.

 Fans reach these stadiums on foot, and bus services are available to Al Thumama, Al Bayt and Al Janoub stadiums

 Doha has prepared for the sporting event with a huge transportation plan and infrastructure Starting from the nearest metro station in addition to train cars, Qatar Rail provides a free Metro Link transfer service from stations to lines covering Doha using buses that go to and from the metro station, as well as taxis for passengers at discounted prices, and “park and move” stops in the vicinity of the stations.

 Communication and Public Relations at Qatar Rail, Abdullah al-Mawlawi, said in a previous statement that the rail’s preparations to receive fans and guests of Qatar during the World Cup began many years ago, precisely since the start of choosing the location of the stations and their proximity to most of the stadiums where the competitions will be held.

 Karwa bus fleet

 Less than 60 days before the start of the whistle, Qatar Karwa Transportation Company announced its readiness for the World Cup, and indicated that about 4,000 buses, 25% of which are electric, will be provided to serve fans, 800 taxis, and 1,300 economy taxis.

What is known as the “Save” service. A company statement clarified that the workforce teams that will be tasked with transporting Qatar's guests include more than 9,000 drivers, 2,000 support staff,

 and 3,000 operational staff, in order to provide a comfortable and easy transportation experience during the matches. 

The buses will operate on more than 300 tracks within the advanced road network that leads to the various stadiums, facilities, tourist attractions and accommodation areas for the tournament visitors.

 In turn, the Ministry of Transportation has completed the supply of 741 electric buses to be fully operated by Karwa Company, as part of public transportation to serve transportation operations during the tournament.

Many solutions

 Qatar provides many transportation solutions for fans, teams, official delegations, manpower and volunteers, such as rapid and electric buses, in addition to bicycles, electric scooters, taxis, water taxis and others.

On September 21 and 22, Mwasalat conducted a test on 2,300 buses, to discover the readiness of the workforce and the operational capacity of the fleet, and simulated transporting fans on match days that will witness the highest percentage of passengers during the tournament. 

It also tested the capacity of the road network for the number of buses, the expected number of visitors, the effectiveness of the transport network for the last distances serving metro stations, transportation to and from World Cup stadiums, and transportation services at airports, in addition to the metro, buses and public fare.

 Uber provides on-demand transportation services for passengers, through two mobile applications, from and to the airport and within the country’s neighborhoods and streets, except for those expected to be closed to cars and designated for pedestrians, such as the Doha Corniche.