Transport

Qatar’s air and sea ports have long been central to the country’s economic expansion. Most recently, the 2010 announcement that the country would host the 2022 FIFA World Cup accelerated the government’s drive to upgrade transport infrastructure, prompting significant increases in public financing. There is also a renewed emphasis on sustainability in the sector, as the development of environmentally friendly infrastructure and services is a key component of Qatar National Vision 2030. Indeed, the more efficient movement of people and goods is at the heart of the country’s broader economic development plans, and the diversification of trade routes helped the sector and the wider economy manage recent disruptions. With the roll out of Covid-19 vaccines having facilitated a return to economic activity and travel worldwide in 2021, along with the lifting of the economic blockade early that year, Qatar’s transport sector appears well placed to build on its role as an engine for broad-based growth.

This chapter contains interviews with Abdulla bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, Managing Director and CEO, Qatar Rail, and Minister of Municipality; and Neville Bissett, Group CEO, QTerminals.