The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) has announced that the Doha Metro Red Line South will now be open to the public during weekends, starting from this Friday, September 27.
The line, which is under initial test operation, extends from Al Qassar to Al Wakra.
The MoTC said in a statement on Tuesday that people can use the Metro from 2pm until 3am (next day) "exceptionally" only on this Friday. After that, the regular service hours of the Metro on subsequent Fridays will be from 2pm until 11pm.
From Saturday to Thursday, the operating hours of the Metro will be from 6am until 11pm, the statement notes.
The Metrolink and Metroexpress feeder services will be available during these timings.
The initial operation includes 13 out of 18 Red Line stations: Al Qassar, DECC, QIC West Bay, Corniche, Al Bidda (Interchange Station), Msheireb (Interchange Station), Al Doha Al Jadeda, Umm Ghawalina, Al Matar Al Qadeem, Oqba Ibn Nafie, Free Zone, Ras Bu Fontas and Al Wakra.
Operations on Doha Metro's Red Line South were launched on May 8 and the service was met with an excellent response right from Day 1. A total of 86,487 passengers travelled on the Doha Metro on the first two days of its launch, and the service has since emerged as a favoured mode of travel for many people in Qatar.
There are two "first and last mile services" available for Doha Metro passengers looking to travel to and from the stations - Metrolink and, for those in the West Bay area, Metroexpress. Also, people can use Karwa Taxi to reach Metro stations at discounted rates.
The Metrolink feeder bus service, being operated in association with Mowasalat, provides transportation to commuters around a specific area to and from the stations. They halt only at designated stops as a safety measure.
Metroexpress offers "convenient, stress-free, shared travel" services, currently covering the West Bay area.
