Business & Money | Tuesday 17 November, 2015 2:47 pm |

 In its second all staff town hall meeting, Qatar Railways Company highlighted the achievements of the last 12 months and looked forward to the milestones to be delivered next year. On the Doha Metro, 61km of tunnels have been completed, 37 stations are under construction and the project has more than 27,000 work force on site. Tunnelling for the Lusail light rail system is 100% completed. 

Among next year’s more notable milestones will be the completion of all the tunnelling on the Metro and overall project completion hitting 50%. Full scale mock ups of the new Doha Metro train and Lusail Tram will also arrive in the city for the first time. 

Transformation Strategy

Opening the town hall meeting, Eng. Abdulla Abdulaziz Al Subaie, Managing Director and Chairman of the Executive Committee of Qatar Rail stressed the role that the company’s values play in the delivery of its objectives: 

"Accountability, teamwork and transparency are the values that guide Qatar Rail’s consistent growth. A strong work ethic has been the backbone of our transformation with world-class efficiency and effectiveness". He added: "This year, our company’s second annual all-staff town hall meeting coincides with the day of H.H. the Emir’s speech at the 44th ordinary session of the Advisory Council, charting a clear vision for comprehensive national development. Qatar Rail is keen to contribute to this national endeavor derived from Qatar's National Vision 2030, ushering in a sustainable business model with economically viable operations and solidifying a customer-centric approach that delivers safe, efficient and reliable services".

During the open forum with staff, Eng. Al Subaie outlined the company’s case for change, challenges ahead and the paramount role assumed by each Qatar Rail family member. "Qatar Rail is currently enjoying a rapid growth phase of the business life cycle, where only performance-led transformation can ensure its next-level and sustainable evolution,” said Al Subaie, adding that,  backed by unwavering employee commitment, "the company's onus is to achieve timely, cost-effective and quality delivery of the rail network through increased focus on efficiency, governance, transparency and internal controls." 

Indeed, Qatar Rail’s strategies center on headway progress toward the completion of the Doha Metro, the Lusail Light Rail (LRT) and the Long Distance Rail projects. Anchoring this progress, the Doha Metro works are advancing as scheduled for a first-phase operational launch by 2019 involving three lines - Red, Green and Gold.

2015 Achievements

At the meeting were showcased the company’s noteworthy developments in 2015, highlighting  ongoing works at the 37 Metro stations, tunneling breakthroughs, systems contracts awarded, operational streamlining, recruitment strategies, efficient business planning processes and ISO recognitions for both the Program Delivery and Quality, health, safety, environment (QHSE) departments.

Echoing Al Subaie, Eng. Saad Al Muhannadi, CEO of Qatar Rail praised the company’s on-site achievements and transparent processes delivering progress for its projects. He said: 

"5 years into its journey, Qatar Rail is moving with pace, progress and purpose across all of its mega projects, consistently readapting and reallocating its talents, resources and partnerships within stringent timeline and budget provisions. At the center of its progress, the Doha Metro project has recorded several milestones, starting with tunneling works that completed 61km out of 113km powered by 21 underground Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs); a quantum leap in the tunneling works that broke a Guinness World record for the largest number of TBMs operating at the same time under one city, to the backdrop of breakthrough tunneling and excavation progress achieved across the 37 metro stations”. Eng. Al Muhannadi added: “Qatar Rail has opened a wealth of opportunities for the involvement of local suppliers and partners in the stations architectural works through a slew of awareness days; an ideal knowledge exchange platform for the Metro project’s current and prospect partners and stakeholders”. 

Goals set for 2016

Building on the milestones for 2015, ambitious goals set for 2016 will focus on Qatar Rail’s continuous, timely and cost-effective project completion and advancement. Reaffirming its commitment to H.H. The Emir’s directives on planning, coordination and cost efficiency, resource optimization, accountability and standardization, Qatar Rail has begun implementing a comprehensive 2016 strategic business planning process and balanced scorecard performance reporting system to maximize program management efficiency and corporate performance. Under this process, it has commissioned a ‘Business Efficiency Review’ to evaluate its business plan, performance and delivery model, ensuring optimal ‘value for money’ in its delivery timely, quality and cost effective program of work. 

On the shorter term, the Doha Metro is forecast to surpass a 50% completion rate over the next year, with all tunneling completed and all MEP contracts awarded during the same period. Similarly, contracts the Doha Metro and Lusail Light Rail Transit Operator and Facility Management are expected to be awarded next year. 

A full-scale rolling stock mock-up for the Doha Metro and LRT will also be revealed. On a strategic level, the development of a long-term business model that will identify and map out key revenue streams for Qatar Rail is underway.

The town hall meeting also served as an ideal occasion for Qatar Rail to give back to its employees for their ongoing dedication and perseverance. Recognized for their professional excellence, 29 employees have received the "Managing Director’s Award of Excellence", a new recognition program set to encourage staff to show more commitment in delivering the railway mission, build a stronger relationship between management and staff, and cultivate a culture of appreciation within the organization.