Doha Metro and Lusail Tram carry over 6.4 mn fans during Asian Cup

QATAR Railways Company (Qatar Rail) has announced that more than 6.46 million passengers used the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram during the Asian Cup Qatar 2023, from January 12 to February 10, 2024, with 6.22 million passengers using the metro and 236,000 passengers using the tram.

The metro and tram played an instrumental role in facilitating the movement of fans and visitors to and from stadiums and other event activations. This was achieved through providing world-class transportation services and ensuring a safe and reliable travel experience throughout the tournament.

In terms of operational performance, 83,358 train-trips were completed on the metro and tram networks during the tournament, of which 72,010 were by metro and 11,348 by tram.

Throughout the tournament, 29 percent of spectators travelled to stadiums using the metro, while metro usage increased to 36 percent for stadiums within walking distance to metro stations.

During the tournament, the day of the Asian Cup Final recorded the highest daily network ridership of 303,500 with 295,900 travelling by metro and 7,600 on tram.

Furthermore, Lusail QNB Metro Station recorded a footfall of more than 115,000, with approximately 53 percent of the overall stadium trips using metro on the day. The overall footfall across all stations and associated facilities of the metro exceeded 734,000 across the day.

Eng. Abdulla Saif Al Sulaiti, Chief of Service Delivery at Qatar Rail, stated, “We are proud of the reliable operational performance recorded during the Qatar 2023 Asian Cup and our contribution to its success while serving Qatar’s visitors throughout the tournament via the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram networks. We extend our thanks to all our staff of both the metro and tram networks, appreciating their significant contribution to the successful execution of the operational plan for the Asian Cup.”

He added, “This success is attributed to the pre-planning and readiness for the tournament, taking in consideration the lessons learned from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and previous major events into account in terms of operations, crowd management, customer service, and more. A comprehensive operation plan was developed and executed to meet the tournament’s requirements, including increasing the metro’s capacity by operating the full fleet of 110 trains, running the 6-car trains on the Red Line, and the train headway was set to be 3 minutes before and after match times on all lines to. Additionally, we cannot overlook the role of coordinated efforts at various levels among all relevant entities, especially the Ministry of Transport and the Local Organizing Committee, to provide a smooth and safe travel experience.”

Both the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram played an exceptional role in providing a safe and reliable travel experience, allowing the fans the opportunity to attend four matches in a single day during the group stage.

In addition to the direct connectivity of the Doha Metro network to five of the tournament’s nine stadiums, the network provided an effective alternative for traveling and facilitated the movement and access of fans to various event areas in the cities of Doha and Lusail.