After 172 days of suspended service, Doha Metro is back in operation with 30% capacity. And there’s a few more exciting new things to share.
How was the experience?
As you walk into the station, you can clearly see the change that took place.
All staff is now wearing PPE as you’d expect, yet you can still see the smile through that mask when you speak to them. To be honest I felt like they missed us!
Inside the station and on the floor you can clearly see the stickers that help you in maintaining social distancing in different spots where you would expect people to be close to each other. The ticket machines, the gates that lead you to the trains, the escalators, the elevators, and the waiting benches are branded nicely and you cannot miss it. There are also hand sanitizing machines distributed around each station. Passengers were moving around the stations as usual.
Can kids under 12 take Doha Metro?
Yes! Young passengers under 12 years can ride the Metro with an adult who has his Ehteraz app, and for those over 12, they should have their own Ehteraz app downloaded on their phone.
I took the regular coach, and the safety measure branding continues – easy to spot what to do and where to sit. The setup is that you can sit in every other seat, something that is now common in waiting areas, and it makes sense.
I noticed that standing passengers are sticking to their routines, despite the seat availability. That’s how they like to hit the Metro and that’s how they will always do.
New free WiFi
Now aside from the Covid-19 related safety measures that something else that you will notice when you use Doha Metro now is the 30-minutes complimentary WIFI that QatarRail announced 2 days ago on their Twitter Account.
I had a meeting in Msheireb area, so I stopped in Msheireb Station. It was busier, as expected (it’s the main interchange) and it felt good seeing people swarming in different directions. Some rushing to catch their train, others switching to another, and others like me, rushing to my meeting.
After I finished my meeting I took the train (Red Line) to DECC station which to my surprise was as busy as Msheireb. Now I have to mention that to this point, DECC station is my favourite.
What I love about this station how it makes you feel as you exit to the street. Even if you have been in Qatar for some time and quite familiar with the place, the moment that door slides open, you get something different. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
I love how you are surrounded by those impressive towers, how you can see the DECC premises next to you and the cars and people buzzing around, and you can tell that a lot is happening in this city… and it’s beautiful.
I finished my errand, and I got a little bit of time, so I said why not to check out the new Legtaifiya Station since it’s now open and so I did. People looked happy to be using the Metro again.
Now it was time to head back home after a really productive day. I took the Red Line, switched to the Green Line, and then enjoyed a much-missed 8-min walk home.
I walked more than 12,000 steps on day one! Mission accomplished. The weather was a little warm, but who cares… I’ve been waiting for this for a long time now, and wouldn’t miss it for the world.
See you around Doha.
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