Doha
Doha Metro users have been urged to strictly follow precautionary measures upon entering and leaving the stations in order to ensure the health and safety of all against the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).
“Everyone on the network should be observing social distancing rules, wearing masks and showing their Ehteraz health status. Hand sanitisers are installed throughout the stations and thermal scanners are also in place to monitor body temperature,” Qatar Rail said on Metronews (issue no. 8) emailed to metro passengers on Wednesday.
Doha Metro, Qatar Rail added, has taken many steps to ensure that safety and cleanliness are a priority and passengers “will find some comfort in seeing that public health guidance from the Ministry of Public Health is being taken seriously.”
Violators – passengers who refuse to adhere to health and safety protocols will be fined by the Public Transportation Security Department of the Ministry of Interior (Transport Police). Apart from reminding passengers to wear masks at all times and “stay safe, leave a space (social distancing on the train)” during their journey, Qatar Rail also advised those who are not feeling well to stay at home.
In the same e-mail, Qatar Rail also reminded metro users to use reusable contactless travel cards since single-use paper tickets will no longer be available. Such move aims to make the metro more sustainable and “further reduce the number of contact touch points throughout the journey.”
Passengers can top-up their standard and goldclub travel cards through the ticket vending machines at all metro stations or via online (debit or credit cards) using Qatar Rail’s mobile application and website. Many passengers who used the metro recently said they felt their journey was safe and secured, citing stringent implementation of protocols against (Covid-19). Other have created videos of their experience and posted them on social media.
“Legtaifiya is now open and completes the network. Our trains are running every five minutes at a minimum, across all lines,” Qatar Rail said.
