The Qatar Foundation commissioned the Siemens Tram Consortium, to design and build a new tram system that operates without overhead contact lines in Education City, the university center in Doha, Qatar. Grimshaw was engaged by the consortium to design a series of seventeen at-grade open air stops for the system which were all developed as variations of a single architectural and structural design.

The minimalist design integrates the structure and enclosure in a way that makes them one and the same. A cable-net structure is held aloft by elliptical columns, spanning the tram tracks and sheltering waiting booths and station furniture below. Building services were carefully integrated with the structure in order to support the tram’s operation.

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The structure also supports components for the tram’s unique propulsion system, a hybrid energy storage solution that utilizes batteries that recharge via an overhead charging rail at each stop. This system eliminates the need for expensive and obtrusive overhead catenary wiring. The charging rail acts as a sort of central nervous system of power and data, hovering between the canopy and platform.

Each station structure was prefabricated in order to allow for flexibility in production and construction while maintaining a recognizable line-wide character. The stops are located along 11.5km of track served by 17 trams each with a capacity of 233 people.

The completed system aims to allow for easy transit of the Education City campus, providing key infrastructure that integrates the tram with other forms of access including walking, driving and cycling.