The Doha Metro is a rapid transportation system designed as an integral component of the larger Qatar rail network. This country-wide, mega-scale infrastructure project consists of 300 km of rail and 100 stations. The rail network aims to reduce traffic congestion and connect the people of Qatar with the rest of the GCC region.

At the city scale, the metro is currently under construction and projected to be operational by the end of 2019. It will serve Doha and its surrounding suburbs, with stations located in all major nodes of the metropolis. The Doha Metro will operate both at grade and below grade, with the majority of the metro project being underground. Dextra’s complex tunneling and soil-retaining solutions were utilized in the construction of this project.

Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymers (GFRP) Used as Tie-back Anchors to Retain Soil

To eliminate concerns of encroachment and obstacles for future construction projects, the Diaphragm Wall (D-Wall) at Al Sadd C-Ring Station was post-tensioned and anchored with ASTEC Active Anchors. These high-performance, fully cuttable GFRP anchors were chosen by ALSYJ JV contractors as the D-Wall anchors of choice.

This innovative solution was selected because it can be cut by Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) or standard excavation equipment, and it does not need to be removed from the ground, even in temporary applications.

For Al Sadd C-Ring Station, 7,113 strands of GFRP rebars were used to make approximately 700 ground-retaining anchors in the D-Wall around that station.