QATAR will be investing about $43.62 billion for the development of advanced transport infrastructure in the country with special focus on the rail network, said a report.

Qatar’s Ministry of Transportation announced that several key projects are currently in the planning stage or already under way, reported the Emirates 24/7.

Work has already begun on the Doha Metro network, which will have a 233-km-long track and 96 stations, with plans to connect the long-distance passenger and goods trains to the GCC rail network.

Doha Metro, Lusail Light Rail Transit and Long Distance Passenger and Freight projects are expected to be completed on schedule, said Abdulla Abdulaziz Al Subaie, managing director and chairman, Qatar Rail.

The 38 stations of Doha Metro will be in highly dense areas around Doha and the reach of metro service is planned to be broadened by the use of feeder buses to cover neighbourhoods not accessible on foot, he explained.

The Doha Metro and rails projects, once completed, will cut two million km of travel by car per day and reduce 258,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

The ministry also said that it was working on improving the country’s public bus service and infrastructure. Plans are afoot to boost the current fleet of 400 buses to 2,000 to coincide with the inauguration of the Doha Metro.