Planning and Procurement of the Doha, West-Bay APM

Abstract

Qatar is a country that occupies about 11,500 square kilometers on a peninsula that extends north into the Persian or Arabian Gulf from the Arabian Peninsula. Doha is the capital of the country and a major administrative, commercial, financial, and population center. The West Bay area of Doha is experiencing phenomenal growth, spurred by a governmental mandate to transform it into an international business magnet and the principal commercial and financial center of Doha. The area currently includes a vibrant commercial center including hotels, office buildings, residential towers, and government offices. Future development plans include a convention center, a high rise tower (over 100 stories tall), multiple new mid-rise and high-rise towers, as well as a 2,500-space underground parking facility. The Lea+Elliott team is performing preliminary engineering and preparing tender documents for the Doha West Bay Automated People Mover (APM) system. This includes design of the APM operating system and establishing the infrastructure interfaces and requirements. The first phase of the APM will include a five-kilometer dual-track underground tunnel, 10 stations and a fleet of approximately 42 cars, configured into two and three-car consists. The first car in each consist will be reserved for VIPs and their families. This paper provides an overview of the APM system and discusses its key planning, design and procurement elements.