FILE PHOTO by Abdul Basit © The Peninsula
The decision to extend the services of Doha Metro Red Line South to Friday and Saturday will help it to set a new ridership record. For commuters, it was a long pending wish which has now been fulfilled as it will give them much-awaited chance to enjoy Doha Metro journey with their family on weekends.
The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC), on Tuesday, had announced that the Doha Metro Red Line South would now be open for the public during weekends from tomorrow.
“It is a welcome move which will benefit all sections of the society. It will further reduce congestion on roads. The total number of commuters for Doha Metro Red Line South will increase significantly after this announcement,” a senior official of a transport consultancy firm told The Peninsula. “Many people do not want to drive a car for family outings on their weekly-off days and such people will like to use Doha Metro train on Friday and Saturday,” he added.
Since starting preview service for the first part of the Doha Metro’s Red Line in May this year, the train service has become hugely popular among residents. More than 86,000 people used the trains in the first two days after the launch of its preview service. On, May 8 around 37,450 people used the metro, while on next day 49,096 people were on board, reflecting the huge popularity of Doha Metro.
The Doha Metro carried around 1,082,100 passengers during the months of July and August, Qatar Rail said on Saturday. A total of 518,535 people used the metro in July, while 563,577 people used it in August, according to the data shared by Qatar Rail on its twitter account.
READ ALSO: Doha Metro Red Line South now open for public on weekends
“Till now my family has not used Doha Metro services because of my professional compulsions. From Sunday to Thursday, I am busy in my office and I return home around 8 pm, which leaves me no time to use Doha Metro with my family during weekdays. The only time we get is on Friday and Saturday, which are my weekly off days, but Doha Metro was not running on these two days till now,” Subhash Ghosh, working with IT company told The Peninsula. “After the extension of Doha Metro services, now I will be able to take my family for an outing, using the metro,” he added. The Doha Metro set a new ridership record on the day of Amir Cup final as it carried over 68,000 people on board on Thursday. It was the highest number of people traveled on Doha Metro trains in a single day. As per the ministry’s announcement, the public can use Doha Metro Red Line South from 2 pm to 3 am tomorrow. After that, the public can use the line regularly from Saturday through Thursday from 6 am to 11 pm and on Fridays from 2 pm to 11 pm.
