What light rail on Adelaide Avenue could look like. It will have huge, long-term economic benefits, the Australasian Railway Association says. Image: ACT Government.
Australia’s peak rail body has gone into bat for the ACT Government’s proposed light rail line to Woden, saying it will bring significant economic, social and environmental benefits to the community.
The support from the Australasian Railway Association is welcome news for the government in a year in which the project will be riding on an election.
The Canberra Liberals are committed to scrapping light rail beyond the contracted Stage 2A extension to Commonwealth Park but are yet to reveal its public transport policy.
Last week, a group of former public servants and community advocates argued light rail would be too costly, saying a mix of trackless trams, electric buses and greater use of transit lanes would be more economical.
But ARA CEO Caroline Wilkie said claims that the Light Rail Stage 2B was not cost-effective do not take into consideration the huge, long-term economic benefits light rail delivered well beyond providing an efficient public transport solution.
“Light rail projects in Australia and across the globe have been consistently shown to dramatically transform communities, driving urban renewal and growth along its corridor, supporting better housing and job opportunities,” Ms Wilkie said.
“As with heavy and metro rail, investment in light rail infrastructure provides certainty to the community and local businesses, encouraging land development and increasing property values.”
Ms Wilkie said the first stage of light rail facilitated hundreds of millions of dollars in private investment and completely transformed the gateway corridor into the nation’s capital.
“This level of revitalisation simply does not happen without the investment certainty that light rail infrastructure provides,” she said.
“Light rail delivers the kind of significant economic, social and environmental benefits that buses cannot, whose routes can easily be stopped or altered at any time.”
Ms Wilkie said the revitalisation of Northbourne Avenue and around the Dickson interchange due to light rail were a testament to the positive impact of permanent public transport infrastructure on investment and urban development.
“If we want to ensure continued investment and urban renewal in the nation’s capital, as well as an efficient and environmentally friendly public transport system that can manage our growing population and support tourism, then light rail will form a critical part of the solution,” Ms Wilkie said.
“Furthermore, light rail will greatly contribute to Canberra’s journey to net zero emissions and offers an accessible, safe, easy-to-use transport solution.”
It was also a more efficient people mover, she said.
According to the ARA’s report, The Renaissance of Light Rail, it could move between 4000 and 20,000 people per hour in one direction in space, equivalent to one lane of road traffic.
The same space dedicated to an arterial road lane could move only 800 cars (or less than 1,000 people) per hour, while the same space dedicated to buses would move between 2000 and 8000 people per hour.
“The ‘stop-and-go’ service of a light rail can move larger numbers of passengers, potentially carrying triple the number of people on buses. And anyone with a scooter or a bicycle can jump on a light rail and extend their journey, making it a very sustainable option,” Ms Wilkie said.
She said that while light rail might be more expensive to construct than introducing a new bus route, operationally, it is comparatively cheaper to run than other modes, resulting in reduced whole-of-life costs, including lower operating costs per passenger.
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