Msheireb Downtown Doha tram receives an international sustainability certificate

Third high-tech tram arrives at Msheireb Downtown Doha

Doha: Msheireb Properties has received another global accolade by obtaining Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accreditation for the Tram Depot located within their flagship development project, Msheireb Downtown Doha (MDD). This accolade coincides with Msheireb Properties receiving their third tram from the US-based manufacturer, TIG/m, LLC.

The Tram Depot, a stabling and maintenance facility for Msheireb Properties’ three trams, received Platinum LEED accreditation in recognition of its advanced specifications that meet the LEED criteria. According to a report produced by the judges, accreditation was awarded based on excellence across multiple criteria, including, design, fit out, sustainability, and optimized energy performance.

Msheireb Downtown Doha has one of the highest concentrations of LEED-certified sustainable buildings, making it the world’s first sustainable downtown regeneration project. With a 32 percent energy reduction goal, almost all the project buildings have LEED Gold certification, with some buildings exceeding expectations to achieve LEED Platinum status.

The tramway network is one of the core features of MDD, planned to facilitate the transportation of residents and visitors around the city in an eco-friendly way. The third self-powered, high-tech, electric streetcar, designed and built by TIG/m, has now arrived on site and is being installed at the district.

TIG/m President Brad Read said, “We aim to facilitate the reintroduction of the electric street railway into the fabric of modern cities and Msheireb Downtown Doha is an example of how to do just that without compromising functionality or aesthetics. We are very happy with our collaboration and immensely proud of what we have achieved. It is sincerely our wish at TIG/m that more urban developers follow the lead of Msheireb Properties and start introducing transportation substitutes that are cleaner, more affordable, fast, and efficient.”

Ali Al Kuwari, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Msheireb Properties said: “We are proud to receive yet another Platinum LEED accreditation for the Tram Depot. We know of no other development project in the world that has LEED certified the housing and maintenance of a cities’ transportation vehicles. With the arrival of the final tram for Msheireb Downtown Doha, we have the ability to provide an easy transport network throughout the smart and sustainable city’s neighbourhoods and facilities. It will be the first of its kind in Qatar and another milestone on our journey to conclude the development of this award-winning development project.”

The three TIG/m trams are single-deck, rigid body, self-powered vehicles, and require no overhead wire or wayside power systems of any kind. The traction power is provided by onboard batteries operating with a regenerative braking function.

The MDD trams are fully air-conditioned and incorporate special light-filtering glass panels which inhibit over 90 percent of the heat from sunlight.

The trams are also convertible and can be operated as open-air cars during the cooler winter months by removing the large glass panels.

In addition, the System incorporates many advanced features for the convenience of the passengers and overall safety of the tramway and assets. They include: level boarding at all passenger stations; a hop-on-hop-off service in the Wadi Msheireb section of Downtown; Virtual Tram Detection and tram priority at the traffic signals; tram arrival signs in real-time on the trams and at the passenger stations; on-board CCTV; and on-board Wi-Fi.

The tramway network within Msheireb Downtown Doha is a single 2 km, closed-loop track system that includes nine stops, with a 400-meter hop-on/hop-off zone. The trams will operate between the hours of 6am to 1am on Sunday to Thursday, and from 1pm to 1am on Friday and Saturday, every day of the year.

حصلت «مشيرب العقارية» -شركة التطوير العقاري المستدام التابعة لمؤسسة قطر للتربية والعلوم وتنمية المجتمع- على شهادة جديدة في مجال الريادة في تصميمات الطاقة والبيئة LEED من الفئة البلاتينية، وذلك عن مستودع «ترام مشيرب» الذي سيكون وسيلة المواصلات الأساسية في مشروعها الريادي «مشيرب قلب الدوحة». ويأتي هذا التتويج تزامناً مع استلام مشيرب العقارية لعربة الترام الثالثة من الشركة الأميركية «تي.أي.جي/إم TIG/m, LLC» المصممة لعربات ترام مشيرب.

ويعد مستودع «ترام مشيرب» بناية مخصصة لإيواء عربات الترام الثلاث في مشيرب قلب الدوحة، ولإنجاز أعمال الصيانة الخاصة بها. وقد حصل المستودع على شهادة الريادة «LEED» من الفئة البلاتينية تتويجاً واعترافاً بمميزاته المتقدمة واحترامه لمعايير الريادة في هذا المجال.

وأشار التقرير -الذي أعده المحكمون بالجهة المانحة للشهادة- إلى أنها قد منحت بناءً على معايير التميز على مختلف المستويات، بما فيها التصاميم والاستدامة وترشيد استهلاك الطاقة. كما أشاد التقرير أيضاً بالمقاربة البيئية التي تعتمدها بناية المستودع، واحترامها لعناصر حماية البيئة على مستوى إدارة المخلفات والاستهلاك القليل للمواد.

مركز مستدام

هذا ويعتبر حي «مشيرب قلب الدوحة» أحد المشاريع التي تتمتع بأكثر عدد من شهادات LEED العالمية، وهو ما يجعل منه مركز المدينة المستدام الأول من نوعه في العالم، الذي يهدف إلى تقليل استغلال الطاقة بنسبة 32 %.

وقال السيد علي الكواري، الرئيس التنفيذي بالوكالة لشركة مشيرب العقارية: «إننا نفخر بالحصول على شهادة LEED أخرى عن مستودع الترام، الأمر الذي لم يحققه أي مشروع عقاري آخر في العالم عن مرافق الإيواء والصيانة. وبوصول الترام الثالث والأخير إلى مشيرب قلب الدوحة، أصبحنا الآن قادرين على تشغيل شبكة نقل تصل كل أحياء المدينة الذكية والمستدامة ببعضها وبمختلف مرافقه، وستكون هذه المبادرة الأولى من نوعها في دولة قطر».;