The static and dynamic testing of 24 trainsets that have been delivered by Japan’s Kinki Sharyo for the under-construction metro are under way.

The building that will house the metro’s integration control centre in the heavy maintenance depot in Al-Wakra, where the trains are being tested, is also approaching completion, according to project client Qatar Rail.

Earlier this month, the main structural steel components for the entrance shelters of the metro stations in the National Library and Hamad Hospital stations were completed.

The metro is planned to enter operations in 2020, two years prior to the staging of the Fifa World Cup.

In December last year, RKH Qitarat, a consortium that comprises local firm Hamad Group and French firms RATP Dev and Keolis, €3bn ($3.7bn) was awarded a contract to operate and maintain the first phase of the metro and Lusail tram for 20 years.

A consortium led by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, of which Kinki Sharyo is a part, won the $3.2bn contract to provide systems, rolling stock and track work for the first phase of the metro.

The contract covers the manufacture and supply of 75 driverless trainsets, which will have a maximum speed of 100 kilometres an hour.

The first phase, which will have three lines, extends over 75 kilometres of track and will have 37 stations. The Lusail tramway will run over 17 kilometres of track with 25 stations.

In December, contractors  submitted bids for the contract to extend the Green Line .

The consortiums that submitted a bid for the contract are understood to include:

• Aktor (Greece) / Larsen & Toubro (India) / STFA (Turkey) / Yapi Merkezi (Turkey) / Aljaber Engineering (local)
• FCC (Spain) / Consolidated Contractors Company (Lebanon)
• Impregilo (Italy) / SK Engineering & Construction (South Korea) / Galfar al-Misnad Engineering & Contracting (local)
• Porr (Austria) / Sixco / HBK Contracting(local)
• QDVC (France/local) / GS Engineering & Construction (South Korea) / Al-Darwish Engineering (local)
• Rizzani de Eccher (Italy) / Lotte E&C (South Korea) / Redco International (local)