QF tram project work ‘in the process’

Siemens, the German contractor of the proposed energy-efficient Avenio tram system at the Qatar Foundation, has started the process of designing the groundworks for  project.

“We have started mobilising experienced personnel who are preparing for some initial designing of the project construction and that is at a final stage at the moment,” Siemens Qatar CEO Martin a Porta (pictured) stated. The laying of the tram’s steel railings, which is the only major infrastructure work in the project announced in July this year, will start by next year.

The three-and-a-half year project, which is expected to become operational in autumn 2015, will have 19 double-articulated Avenio trams. Two of them will be on standby while the remaining will keep running around the 25 stations to be situated at a distance of 600m apart from one another within the QF campus.

Giving a presentation on Tuesday evening at the monthly members meeting of the German Business Council Qatar, Porta recalled  the first batch of workers for the project had already arrived in Qatar. Describing the project, which is the Siemens’ pilot application for Avenio in the Middle East, official Youssef Merjaneh said the tram system would be the benchmark for future rail projects.

“This light rail project with Qatar Foundation is a new system in the world and the design is very unique and based on specifications as requested by the QF,” he explained. According to him, some of the greatest advantages of the tram rail is its use of hybrid energy as each tram will be equipped with the Sitras Hybrid Energy Storage system (HES) from Siemens, with energy being supplied at the tram stops.

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Because the tram will be using a hybrid energy storage technology, each station will have a charging unit as well as batteries and capacitors that will enable the tram to charge within 30-40 seconds while stopping for passengers at every station.

“The tram will be charged at the charging unit at each stop at every station and the capacitor units will ensure the highest performing and short charging times and the batteries are built to provide the energy needed to move the tram around,” he explained.

“The advantage of using the energy storage is that it will ensure around 25% energy saving and the CO2 emissions will be lower by up to 25%… and Qatar Foundation should be proud of this fact,” he noted. Merjaneh explained that the only major infrastructure construction work for the tram would be its 11.5km long steel rail track as the QF has said categorically that there should be no overhead line.

“This tram system will have enhanced safety system as there will be no danger of magnetic fields and touch voltages. There will be no impact on road construction and maintenance and no damage by sand, water or flooding,” he stressed. “Each tram is going to have two minutes headway (time between two trams arriving at the station on the same track) and each will travel at the maximum speed of 40km/hr while ridership for each of the trams will be 3,000 pphpd (person per hour per direction),” he explained.

Each Avenio tram will have the ability to carry up to 239 passengers and will be specially equipped to cope with the country’s extremely hot and dusty summer weather conditions.

source: Gulf Times