Getting light rail to Woden is taking too long, say the Greens. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Canberra’s light rail project is in need of a reboot, say the ACT Greens, who are promising to put the foot down on getting the line to Woden and expanding the network.
The Greens announced their policy at a Public Transport CBR election forum, saying a city-wide network will need a rolling program of planning and construction.
But Transport Minister Chris Steel said the Greens were living in a fantasy and should know better as part of the government.
The Greens have previously criticised the timeline for Stage 2B to Woden, which at present won’t reach the Town Centre until 2033.
They say they will make light rail a government priority with more ambitious deadlines, a bigger project team and the budget funding required to get Stage 2 to Woden moving sooner.
If the project is complex, then they will commit more staff to it, saying the team has been too small with fewer full-time equivalent positions for the first six years of planning than the Stage 1 team had by its second year.
By switching to a rolling program of planning and construction, the project can develop and retain a skilled and stable light rail workforce, the Greens say.
At present, the construction of Stage 2B won’t start at least until 2028, when Stage 2A services to Commonwealth Park are expected to begin.
However, the Greens say that instead of waiting another four years, they will immediately progress with detailed planning and design for Stage 2B so construction can begin while Stage 2A is still being tested and commissioned.
They argue that this will provide better value for money and quicker delivery of future stages.
The Greens will plan for a short extension of Stage 2 to Mawson and begin early planning for future stages of the light rail network to Belconnen, the airport and Tuggeranong.
They will also investigate longer platforms at existing and new stops to accommodate more carriages in anticipation of more passengers using light rail once the line runs all the way from Gungahlin to Woden.
They will also also introduce more frequent light rail services between Gungahlin and the city during the morning and afternoon peaks, on Friday nights and on weekends.
Mr Steel said the Greens claims were not grounded in reality.
“They know that we have to move through the Commonwealth approvals processes, which are out of our hands,” he said.
Mr Steel said they hadn’t provided any milestones or a timeline of their own.
He said the idea that the same trades and subcontractors could be kept on throughout different phases of a project and simply rolled on to the next was fanciful.
The government continued to plan for future stages, such as the east-west line from Belconnen to the city and on to the airport, but Labor understood that only one stage could be delivered per decade.
Mr Steel said the government could not afford to run two light rail projects in parallel.
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