TIG/m Modern Street Railways Third High-Tech Tram Installed at Msheireb Downtown Doha

CHATSWORTH, Calif. - Feb. 11, 2019 - PRLog -- TIG/m, LLC, Modern Street Railways, has installed its third self-powered, modern streetcar at Msheireb Downtown Doha (MDD), in Qatar's capital. MDD is a pioneering and flagship project by Msheireb Properties with a goal of reviving Doha's old commercial center.  This new smart city development is the largest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) project in the world at a cost of around $5.5bn. It recently received Platinum LEED accreditation for the Tram Depot located within their development project.

TIG/m has designed, manufactured, and installed the entire three-tram system.  The fleet will provide public transportation inside Msheireb Downtown Doha, thereby reducing automobile traffic and providing eco-friendly, convenient travel for its residents and visitors.

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."

Mr. Ali Al Kuwari, Acting Chief Executive Officer for 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 housing and maintenance of a city's transportation vehicles. With the arrival of the [third] 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. Ancillary power is provided by a small onboard LPG-fuelled generator. Because the power for a full day of service is carried on-board, the trams are immune to technical problems caused by an off-board power support system, and free of the need to stop for charging during passenger service.


The MDD trams are fully air-conditioned and incorporate special light-filtering glass panels that inhibit over 90% 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. To date, this feature in a modern tram is unique to those that TIG/m has designed and built for the MDD tramway system.

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. The system links all parts of the development within 18 minutes, with a six-minute headway at each station, and offers residents access to Msheireb Station, the largest Doha Metro station that links Qatar Rail's three metro lines: Red, Green, and Golden.

The MDD trams run on standard gauge track (1,435 mm) and are custom designed and hand crafted to the highest standards of excellence, while adhering to European Standards for Tramway Safety.

About TIG/m, LLC, Modern Street Railways

Established in 2005, the company designs and manufactures pollution-free, self-powered, rail-based streetcars using 95% U.S. made technology. These custom state-of-the-art high-capacity hybrid/electric streetcars are designed for urban public transportation. Powered by a uniquely engineered and integrated self-contained power source that combines lithium iron phosphate batteries, regenerative braking, and a range of supplementary power supplies—including hydrogen fuel cells—the streetcars require no overhead wires, no wayside power, and generate zero pollutants.

About Msheireb Downtown Doha

The "Msheireb Downtown Doha" (MDD) project aims to create a legacy for sustainable urban development in Qatar by reviving the old commercial district of Doha with a new architectural language that is modern yet inspired by traditional Qatari heritage and design. The entire development is designed to consume fewer resources, generate less waste, lower costs and achieve a reduced carbon footprint. On completion, MDD will be the world's largest certified sustainable community with over 100 commercial buildings, 900 residential units accommodating more than 2,600 residents and over 10,255 car parking spaces. The 310,000 square meter development can host over 60,000 visitors. All the planned buildings meet the LEED Gold standard for environment performance and some buildings will aim for a Platinum rating.

Visit: TIG/m, LLC, Modern Street Railways (http://www.tig-m.com/),
Watch video on the Doha tram: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxZ93s9lisw