3 April 2009

Light Rail out in the cold at Belconnen

| johnboy
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The Canberra Times bears the outrage of Greens and light rail advocates that plans for the transport revamp of Belconnen have completely ignored a future light rail system.

    The Government has come under attack from light-rail supporters and the Greens for not factoring in the possibility of light rail in the future.

    Greens MLA Amanda Bresnan asked Chief Minister Jon Stanhope if he was aware senior officers had presented these facts to a recent Belconnen Community Council meeting.

    Although Mr Stanhope dodged the question, he later told The Canberra Times he was well aware of the situation and it was intentional.

I think that might be telling them something.

UPDATE: Reader PM posted the following on the subject:

A Looming Storm in the Chief’s Backyard…?

No light rail for Belconnen. EVER! And, there has allegedly been poor consultation.

Basically, the whole request for federal funding of light rail looks like a conveniently timed sham.

The Northside Chronicle:
http://actlightrail.info/documents/The%20Chronicle%2020090324.pdf

Video of the Legislative Assembly:

‘Nuff said??

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bigred said :

It’ll never happen while TWU have coverage at ACTION and CFMEU have coverage of road builders. toot toot!

TWU supposedly don’t mind. Would be good to have a public statement from them.

It’ll never happen while TWU have coverage at ACTION and CFMEU have coverage of road builders. toot toot!

Who paid for those networks?

In the Perth case, my understanding is that in the first instance the decision was made to build the new southern line. This was then financed with a large loan (perhaps $1.5 billion). That is, debt was used to finance expenditure on infrastructure.

But then, lots of unexpected money flowed into the WA Government from the recent mining boom and some of this was used to pay off the debt. So now the new southern line is debt free.

This seems to be the opposite of saying we will build light rail only if the Commonwealth Government decides to pay for it.

The Perth railway decisions look like an independent city taking the initiative.

seekay said :

Thanks PM.

Who paid for those networks?

Sorry, I don’t know…

At the end of the day, though, whether it was funded by government, private enterprise or a mix of the two, cities comparable to Canberra have light rail.

Thanks PM.

Who paid for those networks?

And lets make it free!

The WA “Liberal” Government has just announced that travel on Perth’s public transport, including the plush fast trains, will be free for seniors and disability pensioners in off peak times 9am to 3pm and all day on weekends and public holidays.

It this the beginnings of free public transport?

How many people would use Canberra light rail if it was free?

seekay said :

Out of interest, is there a town of a similar size to Canberra – population and geographical spread – that has built a light rail network from scratch and when?

From ACT Light Rail website:

“FAQ: Does Canberra have a sufficient population to operate a light rail service?
Many cities in Europe and North America, with populations comparable to Canberra, operate light rail systems. For example Saarbrucken, with a population of 186,000 built a 17.5km light rail system (commenced in 1997). Stuttgart, with a population of 586,000 has built an 84km light rail system (commenced in 1975). Low-density cities such as Portland in the US and Edmonton and Calgary in Canada have recently installed light rail systems.”

Out of interest, is there a town of a similar size to Canberra – population and geographical spread – that has built a light rail network from scratch and when?

I think an extra 1.8 billion was added to the estimate because history shows that our government never gets anything right the first time. I would imagine that initially we would end up with just one single line resulting in a few problems running a two way system. That is unless our Government finally admits it completely botched up the GDE.

The extra 1.8 billion would be needed to rebuilt the system after about 6 months.

Could someone please help me with this? I find numbers difficult at times, but I have really thought hard about this but I still just can’t see how it would cost $3.5 billion for light rail in Canberra when in Perth for $1.66 billion in 2006-2007 they got:
72 km of electrified railway line
31 new three car trains
10 new railway stations which are bus train interchanges and
an underground station with tunnels under the city centre.

If Perth could get that much for $1.6 billion, I just can’t see how it would cost $3.5 billion for a light rail system in Canberra.

And Perth’s railways are really plush.

In Perth they have spent real money to get a plush, fast, electrified rail line that is beyond what east coast public transport advocates could imagine in their wildest drug stoked wet dreams and it is still less than half the cost of light rail for Canberra.

I think somethings wrong with this $3.5 billion cost estimate.

Or there needs to be some really good explanation.

So this is what our twitchy, bumbling and inarticulate CM does with his sitting days.

Can someone please tell me how the hell he became the grand emperor of the territory?

I find it interesting going to events where he is to be the “guest speaker”, which is enough in itself to make one think twice….or three times….about attending.

I have been present at numerous events where he doesn’t show and sends apologies, methinks its a clever ploy to make himself appear a very busy man.

Perhaps he’s beavering away on his memoirs? Or more captivating would be a tome featuring his finest assembly speeches?

Free copies to all ACT schools.

This would make one very, very releived to NOT be an MLA because of he risk of acquiring terminal boredom.

Why not just say:
We don’t want light rail – never did
We were too scared of losing the election to tell the truth
We’re telling you now, but only because you forced us to
We’ll consider more promises for the next election.

Sleaz274 said :

There will never ever be light rail in canberra it is too costly to build and establish and would need to be subsidised its entire existence because all you would do is move passengers from action to rail without the flexibility of buses and using existing infrastructure. Why anyone on either political parties thinks it’s worth talking about is beyond me. It should be put in a pile of crappy ideas and burnt and never mentioned again ever lest the ignorant retardation of those who mention it is revealed. Stanhope is biding his time for a considered withdrawal and handover probably about the same time the economy looks up and he can produce a $1 trillion dollar statue of himself.

In a bad mood 0/2 for my tipping thus far…

And just what the Hell are you basing those assumptions upon?!

I suspect you’re one of those mandarins…!

There will never ever be light rail in canberra it is too costly to build and establish and would need to be subsidised its entire existence because all you would do is move passengers from action to rail without the flexibility of buses and using existing infrastructure. Why anyone on either political parties thinks it’s worth talking about is beyond me. It should be put in a pile of crappy ideas and burnt and never mentioned again ever lest the ignorant retardation of those who mention it is revealed. Stanhope is biding his time for a considered withdrawal and handover probably about the same time the economy looks up and he can produce a $1 trillion dollar statue of himself.

In a bad mood 0/2 for my tipping thus far…

I saw Kate a few days ago on that Insight program – she’s been overdoing the botox just a little I thought.

+1

I too voted for you the first time. Bring back Kate Carnell anyday.

Dear Mr Stanhope, you clearly think you are pretty clever. You won the last election, albeit losing your majority, but cleverly conned those naive, tree hugging, plastic bag hating Greens into signing a mean and tricky agreement . . . and now, just a few months on, you are rubbing your hands together! Why, you have got your revenge on that dastardly resident lobby group who nearly forced you to reveal your improvident promise about the power station (and now for the crematorium!), PLUS now you have done away with the light rail lobby! Who’s next?

Do you realise that you come across as a smug, self-congratulatory player? I am revolted and repulsed. You are a reptile who has little, if any, care for your constituents. How far have the mighty fallen. I voted you in the first time. I am horrified at what you have become.
I keep waiting for the Slitheen to emerge.

jakez said :

I don’t see how that’s possible. Or is this a joke about someone/government and a 50 year plan?

I am writing up a guide to what I believe Public Transport for Canberra over the next 50 years should be. It mostly involves Our 5 Interchanges & 6 main shopping centers being connected by light rail. With buses filling in the gap. My plan would be funded by the main roads into the City becoming toll roads.

It may just take a while to finish it. But at the moment I won’t include pictures.

TP 3000 said :

However I am still going to continue writing up my own 50 Year Transport Plan & will still submit it to the ACT Labour, Greens & Liberals.

I don’t see how that’s possible. Or is this a joke about someone/government and a 50 year plan?

Light rail. That would be all we need . Another black hole. And Transport Plan, light rail for the year 3000

la mente torbida2:00 pm 03 Apr 09

Apart from the risk of detached retinas…how cool would it be?

I want a tube system like Woollies uses to send their cash to the back office.

That’s exactly what I had in mind. 🙂

Pommy bastard1:48 pm 03 Apr 09

How about we drop all public transport, scrap the lot of it, give the cycle paths back to nature, and subsidise more public parking?

la mente torbida1:38 pm 03 Apr 09

I want a tube system like Woollies uses to send their cash to the back office.

Holden Caulfield1:14 pm 03 Apr 09

Haha, I like the travelator idea.

Will rollerbladers become the new cyclists. 😛

Not solution to all problems, but cheaper to run than buses or cars once built. The cost of the initial infrastructure being quoted by the government is grossly overstated.

I think that giant travelators between town centres would be the best option.

…or some sort of tube system that humans fit in…

amarooresident212:01 pm 03 Apr 09

I still don’t understand how light rail is supposed to be the solution to all our problems.

Then we’ll be on the map, like North Haverbrook

Mono-doh!!!

OMG – This bloke is our Chief Minister – HELP

The ACT Labour Government has never wanted light rail in Canberra. Does anyone remember when on a Monday ex Transport Minister Simon Corbel said that light rail up the middle of Northbourne Avenue was viable. Then the following Wednesday Simon was replaced as transport minister John Hargreaves who said that light rail wouldn’t be sent up the middle of Northbourne Avenue.

However I am still going to continue writing up my own 50 Year Transport Plan & will still submit it to the ACT Labour, Greens & Liberals.

Wow, I always knew some spidersense was tingling when I thought about covering Legislative Assembly question time.

That was miserably poor speaking by the CM, is he trying to bore them all into submission?

Monorail!

Monorail is still an option.

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