Pacific Partnerships Managing Director Simon Nicholls on behalf of Canberra Metro, Transport Minister Chris Steel, Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King, and Chief Minister Andrew Barr at the Raising London Circuit site for the contract announcement. Photo: Ian Bushnell.
The ACT Government has signed a $577 million contract with Capital Metro to construct light rail Stage 2A to Commonwealth Park. The Commonwealth is tipping a further $125.5 million into the project.
But Canberrans won’t see the first track laid until 2025 after the raising London Circuit project is complete, and the 1.7 km line from Alinga Street won’t take its first passengers until January 2028, drawing immediate criticism from the Canberra Liberals.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr told a press conference at the Raising London Circuit site this morning that work was expected to start late next year or early 2025 and would take three years for construction, commissioning and testing to be complete.
At one point, Transport Minister Chris Steel had hoped the project would make a start by the ACT election in October 2024 and be completed by 2026.
Asked if he was disappointed that it would be 2028 before a passenger could ride the rails to Commonwealth Park, Mr Steel said the timing of the project would depend on the procurement process.
“We’ve now finalised that procurement process and are announcing the timeframe today,” he said.
Mr Steel said that signing the contract would allow Major Projects’ light rail team to shift focus to Stage 2B across Lake Burley Griffin to Woden.
This would entail design work and the development of an environmental impact statement to go out to the public for feedback at the end of next year at a cost of $50 million.
Mr Steel said Stage 2B did not have to wait for Stage 2A to be completed before a start could be made, but there was a lot of work to be done through the planning design approvals process.
He brushed off a question about whether the Woden leg was now a project for next decade.
“We know that a lot of these decisions are out of our hands with third parties that are making decisions about the project, so we’re going to work milestone by milestone through each of those stages to get on with building light rail,” Mr Steel said.
Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King continued to offer support for the bigger and more complex Woden stage but would not make any solid Commonwealth commitment to the project, saying the Federal Government would not be announcing funding for projects for the sake of it without proper planning.
“I know as it gets closer to having an understanding of what the costs are for Stage 2B, I’m sure they [the ACT] will come to the Commonwealth, and we again will talk constructively with them about what we know is a very important project for the ACT,” she said.
“Let’s do it properly.”
But the fate of the Woden stage is in the hands of ACT voters next year. The Canberra Liberals are committed to walking away from future light rail development.
Opposition Transport spokesperson Mark Parton said light rail was an obscene waste of money. Photo: Thomas Lucraft.
Opposition Transport spokesperson said today’s announcement only confirmed the Canberra Liberals worst fears about the cost of light rail.
“Stage 2A will cost more than twice as much as last year’s Canberra Liberals’ estimate and will be delivered more than two years late.”
He said taking into account the cost of raising London Circuit, upgrading the depot and buying more light rail vehicles, the bill for light rail Stage 2A was now more than $900 million.
“So anyone who believes that Stage 2 in its entirety will get to Woden under $4 billion is dreaming, and anyone who believes that it will get to Woden before 2034 is on another planet,” Mr Parton said.
Mr Parton said light rail was an obscene waste of money, particularly “when we can deliver transport outcomes that are just as good, if not better, for a fraction of the cost, and much earlier”.
But he would not provide details of what the Liberals were planning, saying a detailed policy would be announced closer to the election.
The ACT Government stuck with Capital Metro in a single procurement to deliver the next stage for the sake of continuity and efficiency.
The wire-free stage will run along London Circuit to Commonwealth Avenue with stops at Edinburgh Avenue, City South and Commonwealth Avenue.
Mr Barr said the extended line would further move the CBD towards the Lake, where the government had released land for new mixed-use development and planned more.
“So what Canberrans can expect from this transport project and the associated works are new public parks, more housing, more hotels, more restaurants and cafes, more commercial activity and a place that will be used by people,” he said.
The total Commonwealth contribution to Stage 2A is currently $344 million. The ACT Government has already paid for early work.
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