Retail spaces offered at Lusail Tram stations

The Lusail Tram network is comprised of four lines and 25 stations aboveground and underground, and connects it to the Doha Metro via two interchange stations: Lusail and Legtaifiya. (Screeengrab from Qatar Rail website)

Qatar Rail is offering retailers an opportunity to open new stores at Doha Metro’s Lusail Tram stations ahead of its opening. In an advertisement, Qatar Rail announced that at least five retail spaces – Marina, Marina Promenade, Yacht Club, Esplanade, and Energy City South – are currently available for leasing. Units start at QR3,000 monthly. According to Qatar Rail, the Lusail Tram network is comprised of four lines and 25 stations aboveground and underground, and connects it to the Doha Metro via two interchange stations: Lusail and Legtaifiya. Retailers who will avail of this offer at Lusail Tram stations can also get 12 months of licence fee for free and flexible agreement duration of three years or five years. Water and electricity costs will be included in the licence fee. The Lusail Tram’s total route is approximately 19kms long and around 1,500 sq m of retail space is spread across 43 retail outlets. Qatar Rail noted that trams, compared to petrol-powered vehicles such as buses, provide efficient and environment-friendly transport services for commuters. “Trams are greener and cope better with traffic than buses. They are also much more efficient in terms of road usage as one train replaces about 40 cars which take up a far larger area of road space,” Qatar Rail said on its website. “Lusail tram will soon become the main transportation hub for visionary Lusail City the largest single sustainable development to be undertaken in the State of Qatar”. Qatar Rail earlier announced retail opportunities in its 9,200sq m space spread across 37 stations of the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram network, giving retailers, including small and medium enterprises, a chance to open new stores and expand their reach. The ‘state-of-the-art and best in class automated rail network’ is comprised of Red, Gold, and Green Lines, operates mostly underground across Doha. “We have focused on providing accessible stations with distinctive branding, signage, and digital displays inside and outside the stations. We provide live real-time service updates, simple fare structure for our Travel Cards, as well as a handy mobile app with all the information you will need when travelling with us. Doha Metro is your answer to safe, convenient, affordable, and stress-free travel around the city of Doha,” Qatar Rail said on its website. Retail spaces (permitted trades) include services, general retail, food and beverages, convenience, and Automated Teller Machines (ATM) and vending machines. Banks, money exchange, telecom service, pharmacy travel agent, courier service, health and beauty, laundry, government entity, and quick service repair, among others, fall under services trade while stationery, electronics, florist, accessories, gift/souvenir shops, book store, sports shop, and nutritional supplement fall under general retail. Food and beverage include cafés, quick service restaurants, specialty foods, and juice bars while convenience stores and news agents fall under convenience. ATMs and vending machines are under ancillary.