Finance Minister Senator Katy Gallagher, Member for Canberra Alicia Payne, Member for Bean David Smith, Infrastructure Minister Catherine King, ACT Transport Minister Chris Steel and Member for Fenner Andrew Leigh on the interchange site in Woden. Photo: Ian Bushnell.
The Federal Government has made its first cash contribution to the next light rail stage with a $50 million down payment that will go towards designing stage 2B to Woden, the approvals process and developing a business case.
The ACT Government also released new renders of proposed light rail stops and opened consultation on the project’s environmental impact statement.
Making the pre-budget announcement on the Woden interchange construction site, federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said light rail could not happen without federal assistance and flagged further funding in subsequent budgets when the business case was submitted and the ACT Government put in its requests.
“We’re investing in mass public transport systems right the way across the country,” she said.
Ms King dismissed questions about the ACT election and the Canberra Liberals’ opposition to stage 2B.
“The ACT Labor government has been an absolute champion of public transport, of light rail, of actually thinking really purposefully about how you build the urban infrastructure and move people around Canberra,” she said.
“It’s pretty clear that only Labor cares about public transport, cares about making sure we actually have those transport routes.
“We’re getting on with the job of building Canberra.”
An artist’s impression of the proposed Kent Street stop for Deakin and Yarralumla passengers. Image: ACT Government.
Mr Steel welcomed the funding as a sign of the Commonwealth’s commitment to light rail and a contribution to a critical stage in the project.
He said the government wanted to hear from the community as the project moved through the development of a draft environmental impact study.
“The development of the draught EIS will be informed by consultation on a precinct level, with communities that live along the line in Woden, in the Yarra Glen precinct in the inner south, people who live and work around the parliamentary precinct and Commonwealth Avenue as well,” Mr Steel said.
“We’ll be engaging them in pop-ups this week and over the coming weeks to get an understanding about how we can maximise the benefits for the community and how they’re going to visualise going down to the stops.”
Mr Steel said the funding would allow the ACT Government to develop the design, move through each of the multiple approvals, and then develop a business case to present to the Commonwealth and release to the public.
He again would not provide a ballpark figure for the cost of stage 2B, saying he would not give that kind of information to potential bidders.
Mr Steel said the scope of the project needed to be understood first, particularly the section through the parliamentary zone before it could be properly costed, which was why this funding was so important.
He said government land sales, particularly for housing along the route, would offset some of the cost, but the ovals on Yarra Glen were off-limits.
“We want to consult with the community about what the opportunities are to provide well-located homes close to public transport, close to services and what the opportunities are to provide additional infrastructure and enhance the quality of our public spaces and landscaping along the route as well,” Mr Steel said.
An artist’s impression of the proposed Carruthers Street stop, which will serve Curtin.
He attacked the Canberra Liberals for opposing light rail stage 2B.
“What we know is that we’re going to have a population in Canberra of 780,000 by 2060,” Mr Steel said.
“In order to make sure that we can move more Canberrans more efficiently around our city, we need a mass transit system, and that’s why today’s announcement is so critical.
“This is about delivering the mass transit spine north to south, making sure that we’ve got that higher capacity transit that doesn’t get caught up in traffic as our city grows.”
Public Transport Association of Canberra chair Ryan Hemsley hoped the $50 million in Commonwealth funding would speed up the project, which is not due to start construction until 2028.
“We understand that this particular funding will go towards further planning and design work that occurs after the EIS,” he said.
“Having that work funded means that Major Projects Canberra can continue after the EIS is complete and move towards getting the approvals from the National Capital Authority and from Federal Parliament to ensure work on stage 2B,” he said.
Mr Hemsley said the Commonwealth was committed to the project and would benefit in many ways, including better access to new government departments being built in the parliamentary zone.
He said that while supportive of light rail, the association also believed the government needed to step up when it came to the bus system and welcomed some of the recent Liberal and Greens initiatives.
On stage 2B, PTCBR’s focus would be on ensuring safe and convenient connections to the proposed light rail stops on Adelaide Avenue and Yarra Glen.
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