Stations on the Doha Metro Green line are as follows: Al Mansoura - Msheireb - 8 intermediate stations - Al Riffa
On my visit to Qatar earlier this year, I noticed that this line was operated in two parts, even though the infrastructure was set up for the entire line to operate as I would have expected.
The two parts were:
- a shuttle operated by a single set travelling back and forth between Msheireb and Al Mansoura.
- the rest of the line as expected between Msheireb and Al Riffa. Upon arriving into Msheireb, trains crossed over to the 'wrong line' to arrive on the Al Riffa-bound platform, from where everyone alighted (except me as I did not understand what was happening) and new passengers boarded. The train then reversed and headed towards Al Riffa.
There was no signage to indicate that this was the case. At Al Mansoura, the Al Riffa-bound platform was not in use, with the shuttle using the 'arrival' platform only (not sure if tracks extend beyond the station for reversals, or trains only reverse in the platform).
Does anyone know why this operational pattern was/is in place, or have more information about this?
One effect of this pattern is that because Msheireb is the main interchange station, if you're heading towards Al Riffa, you cannot "guarantee" yourself a seat (in the regular male cabin) by going one stop in the wrong direction to Al Mansoura and then coming back on an empty train. (You can of course guarantee yourself a seat by paying for Gold class or, unless it's extraordinarily busy, being a female or travelling with kids.)
On my visit to Qatar earlier this year, I noticed that this line was operated in two parts, even though the infrastructure was set up for the entire line to operate as I would have expected.
The two parts were:
- a shuttle operated by a single set travelling back and forth between Msheireb and Al Mansoura.
- the rest of the line as expected between Msheireb and Al Riffa. Upon arriving into Msheireb, trains crossed over to the 'wrong line' to arrive on the Al Riffa-bound platform, from where everyone alighted (except me as I did not understand what was happening) and new passengers boarded. The train then reversed and headed towards Al Riffa.
There was no signage to indicate that this was the case. At Al Mansoura, the Al Riffa-bound platform was not in use, with the shuttle using the 'arrival' platform only (not sure if tracks extend beyond the station for reversals, or trains only reverse in the platform).
Does anyone know why this operational pattern was/is in place, or have more information about this?
One effect of this pattern is that because Msheireb is the main interchange station, if you're heading towards Al Riffa, you cannot "guarantee" yourself a seat (in the regular male cabin) by going one stop in the wrong direction to Al Mansoura and then coming back on an empty train. (You can of course guarantee yourself a seat by paying for Gold class or, unless it's extraordinarily busy, being a female or travelling with kids.)