For its outstanding performance and delivering operational excellence during the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) has been recognized by the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) during the UITP Global Public Transport Summit held between June 4 and 7 in Barcelona, Spain.
During the UITP-MENA Regional Recognition Awards and Members Gathering event, Qatar Rail received the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Recognition Award in the Operational Excellence category for the Delivery of Operational Excellence during QATAR 2022 FIFA World Cup.
This category recognizes projects that demonstrate excellence in planning and executing public transport operations, leading to efficient network operations and safe travel. Eligible projects in this category cover a range of areas, including service delivery process improvement, infrastructure refurbishment, network and schedule planning, and resource optimization.
On this occasion, Abdulla Ali Al Mawlawi, Communication & Public Relations Director at Qatar Rail, stated, “It is a great honor to receive this Recognition Award from UITP, the largest association in the field of public transport worldwide. We are delighted to see that all the hard work, all the preparations that started almost 10 years ago, the final preparations and mobilization last year, and ultimately the delivery of our services, have paid off. we would like to thank our team at Qatar Rail, but also our Service Provider RKH Qitarat, for this great achievement.” He Added, “The setting of the 2022 FWC tournament was demanding: 8 stadiums with up to 4 matches every day, accommodation clusters for almost 100,000 people, and several fan areas with a combined capacity well above 100,000 people, all served by our Metro system with 3 Lines. Our plans were ambitious, as we had a train every 165 seconds, almost our entire fleet in operation most of the day, and 5,000 additional staff for crowd management and customer service. Furthermore, the outcome was fantastic: more than 17 million customers during the event, with over 50% of the people visiting the 64 matches using the Metro. We achieved a customer satisfaction rate of 99%. Each of these achievements speaks for itself.” During the 2022 FWC tournament, Doha metro was the preferred transport mode for 1.4 million visitors, it has been internationally recognized as a star of the show connecting five stadiums directly and a shuttle linking the other three stadiums. Additionally, the integrated plans with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SCDL) ensured seamless customer journey experience to and from stadiums, fan festivals, fan zones and accommodation.
The successful delivery of the World Cup not only provided Qatar with global recognition as “The Best World Cup ever”, but it also resulted in record-breaking ridership of 827,135 on the Metro and 33,000 on the Tram recorded in one day. The network experienced five times its normal patronage and the robust plans in place helped facilitate 18.2 million passenger journeys.
Additionally, being the first carbon neutral World Cup, aided by Doha Metro and Lusail Tram, resulted in 119,000 fewer car journeys, and the avoidance of 8500 tonnes CO2 emissions. The Metro gained significant exposure from international fans, which drove a global interest in the network. This also raised the profile of the Metro amongst the local population, resulting in a steady increase in patronage after the tournament.
The UITP Global Public Transport Summit 2023 which was held under the theme “Bright Light of the City”, is the world’s biggest event dedicated to sustainable mobility that brought together all transport modes, industry authorities and operators, as well as exhibitors.
As the coveted prize in public transport, the UITP Awards showcase the most ambitious and innovative projects of the last two years in cities and regions around the globe. First launched in 2011, it covers nine categories that encompass the full spectrum of the public transport sector.
The Special Recognition Awards are a part of the UITP Awards and are awarded to those projects that stood out from a specific region (Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Asia Pacific, Eurasia, Europe, India, Latin America, MENA, and North America). UITP assembles an impartial expert jury that scores the submitted projects based on their innovation, contribution to the sector, and prospects of transferability to other cities.
Source: Qatar News Agency
