Light rail in Canberra

Background , 2009, before construction of the light rail. Seen looking north from Civic, with City Hill in the foreground. Walter Burley Griffin's master plan for Canberra proposed the construction of a tram network and a heavy rail line. However, excepting for the Canberra station, the city was exclusively served by buses from 1926, when the Canberra City Omnibus Service was introduced, until 2019. Proposals before 2012 ACT election While railways across Canberra, including one to Belconnen, were seriously considered until the mid-1960s, little discussion of a metropolitan tramway occurred until the 1990s. Before 1989, the ACT had been directly administered by the federal government thus any large public infrastructure expenditure in Canberra was subject to national scrutiny. In the early 1990s, Canberra Land proposed an line from Canberra Racecourse via Northbourne Avenue to Civic with Melbourne tram B2089 displayed in February 1992. A light rail connection for Gungahlin was proposed as far back as 1992. An eight-year-old Canberran proposed the idea of a tram line to the newly announced, but undeveloped town centre of Gungahlin in April 1992. In October 1992 a syndicate of private land developers MBA Land and Consolidated Builders (together known as Canberra Land) incorporated rail into an urban village plan. The Gungahlin proposal followed a 1991 Murdoch University report, Towards a More Sustainable Canberra, which suggested the city was too car-oriented and should implement a light rail system along the Y-Plan. In 1993 a report by Maunsell-Denis Johnston and Associates found that a dedicated inter-town busway was a more viable transport option for Canberra than light rail. In 1994, the ACT Government commissioned a study into light rail, based on the findings of an independent report that light rail would be viable in Canberra by 1998. In its detailed report consultants Booz Allen Hamilton recommended a route from Belconnen to Barton via the City and Kings Avenue Bridge be operating by 1998; Woden to Barton by 2000; Tuggeranong to Woden by 2002 and Gungahlin to City by 2004. Routes to Canberra Airport and Queanbeyan received a lower priority. By January 1995 the then ACT Liberal Opposition Leader, Kate Carnell, announced her party's opposition to the light rail proposal citing "suspect" patronage figures and questioned the report's projected population for Canberra-Queanbeyan of 474,000 by 2016. Projections in 2017 for the Canberra-Queanbeyan population, forecast the metropolitan area reaching 474,000 between 2020 and 2023, four to seven years later than the 1995 projections. In 1995, the ACT Liberal Party came to power and plans for a light rail system in Canberra were dropped. In February 1998, the ACT Government announced its support for the Federation Line, a proposed line from the National Museum of Australia via Civic to the Australian War Memorial. The line was proposed to use heritage trams. In September 2001, to try to garner support for the project, Melbourne tram W249 and Sydney tram R2001 were placed on display outside the Australian War Memorial, the latter operating on a section of track and powered by a diesel generator. In a further display in September 2003, W249 operated on an section of track on Parkes Way. An April 2012 report by URS consultants scored kerbside light rail +6, based on its benefits and harms. Bus rapid transit scored +5, and median light rail scored zero. August 2012 ACT Government submission to Infrastructure Australia estimated that bus rapid transit (BRT) had roughly twice the benefit-cost ratio of light rail transit (LRT) under a wide range of assumptions. Proposal reached The construction of Stage 1 of the light rail line was part of a deal struck between ACT Labor and the ACT Greens following the 2012 ACT election, at which Labor required the Greens' support to form government. Both parties had campaigned at the election in support of light rail. The opposition Canberra Liberals opposed the project. In April 2015, the party announced it would cancel any contracts for the light rail if it won the 2016 ACT election. The light rail project was the major issue of the campaign. The Labor government was returned at the election, with the party claiming the result as an endorsement of the project. Development and Stage 1 In the 2013/14 ACT budget, $5 million was allocated for early design work. In September 2014, the business case was approved by the government. The project, known as Capital Metro during planning, was developed by the government agency Capital Metro Agency (CMA). in July 2017 The line was to be delivered under a public-private partnership. Expressions of interest were received from the following consortia: • ACTivate: Downer Group, Plenary Group, Bombardier and Keolis Downer • Canberra Metro: Pacific Partnerships, Mitsubishi Corporation, John Holland, CAF, Deutsche Bahn, Aberdeen Asset Management, Leighton Contractors, and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi • CANGO: Macquarie Capital Group, Obrascon Huarte Lain, SMRT International, UGL Rail and Siemens • Connecting Canberra: Capella Capital, Transdev, Alstom and Acciona Infrastructure In March 2015, the government announced that ACTivate and Canberra Metro had been selected to move on to the Request for Proposal stage of the procurement process. The bidders submitted their final proposals for the Gungahlin to the city route on 4 September and had an additional four weeks to submit their proposals for a potential expansion of the project, from the city to Russell. The Canberra Metro consortium was announced as the preferred tenderer in February 2016 and the contract was finalised in May. Under the contract, Canberra Metro will operate and maintain the line for 20 years, after which ownership will pass to the ACT Government. in August 2017 Design and construction costs were budgeted at $707 million. Major construction of the route itself began towards the end of the year. The CMA was amalgamated into a new government directorate, the Transport Canberra & City Services (TCCS), on 1 July 2016, resulting in the responsibility for the project being transferred to the TCCS. Testing of the line began in June 2018. A section in Gungahlin was electrified and one of the trams made trial runs. The last tram arrived in Canberra in September 2018 and it was hoped to have the project completed by the end of 2018. The light rail eventually opened on 20 April 2019, with the final construction cost for Stage 1 being $675 million, some $32 million under the original budget. ==Route==

The line has its northern terminus at Hibberson Street in Gungahlin and follows Flemington Road, the Federal Highway and Northbourne Avenue to the southern terminus between Alinga and Rudd Streets in the City Centre. It is double track for its full length. The main bus interchanges are located at Gungahlin Place, Dickson Interchange and Alinga Street. [ { "type": "ExternalData", "service": "page", "title": "Canberra light rail - Gungahlin to City.map" }, { "type": "ExternalData", "service": "page", "title": "Canberra light rail - Gungahlin to City stops.map" } ] Stops The Sandford Street light rail stop commenced construction in 2020 and opened on 16 September 2021. ==Operation==

The service is operated by Canberra Metro Operations (CMET), in association with Deutsche Bahn Engineering and Consulting, under a 20-year contract. CMET is a joint venture between John Holland and Pacific Partnerships, both of whom are part of the Canberra Metro consortium. CMET holds the contract to operate the light rail until at least 2036. Formed in 2016, it is a partnership between John Holland and Pacific Partnerships in association with Deutsche Bahn Engineering and Consulting. . Five additional light rail vehicles were ordered from CAF ahead of the construction of Stage 2A. These vehicles are capable of wire-free running, as required by the National Capital Authority within its defined area. Deliveries began during 2024 and by January 2025, four were operational, with two in regular service. Control system Tehnika's t-visor RAIL platform, also used on the Gold Coast Light Rail, provides the operators with a single, centralised control system. This encompasses the automatic vehicle location, traffic signalling priority, traction power & infrastructure SCADA, CCTV and passenger information systems, amongst others. ==Stage 2 extension==

looking south from City Hill towards Parliament House. The hump in the middle distance is the bridge over Lake Burley Griffin, between which trams are expected to travel if Stage 2B goes ahead. The consortia participating in the procurement process for the initial line were asked to develop plans for an expanded route from the City Centre to the Defence headquarters in Russell via London Circuit and Constitution Avenue. This additional section was estimated to boost the patronage of the line as a whole by more than 30%. The proposal highlighted the desire of the Federal Government's National Capital Authority to use wire-free technology to power the trams in areas of the city under the authority's management. The ACT Government decided not to proceed with the expanded route but committed to releasing a plan for a second stage of the light rail network before the October 2016 territory election. It was considering extending the line not only to Russell but to the broader parliamentary triangle, possibly including Canberra Airport and the Australian National University. Development of route and funding When construction of Stage 1 began, construction of Stage 2 was planned to begin shortly after the completion of the first stage. • City to Canberra Airport via Constitution Avenue and Parkes Way • City to Belconnen Town Centre via Barry Drive past Calvary Hospital and the University of Canberra • City to the Parliamentary Triangle via either Commonwealth Avenue or Kings Avenue • City to Mawson via Woden. In September 2016, the government selected a truncated version of the Mawson route that ends at Woden as its preferred second-stage project. At that stage, the only firm decisions the government had made about the route were that it would run from Alinga Street to the Woden Town Centre and use Commonwealth Avenue Bridge to cross Lake Burley Griffin. In July 2019, the ACT Transport minister Chris Steel announced that Stage 2 would be divided into two parts: Stage 2A from Civic to Commonwealth Park just before Lake Burley Griffin, and Stage 2B to continue from Commonwealth Park to Woden across the lake. Stage 2A Business case In September 2019, the ACT Government approved the business case for Stage 2A, confirming the three new stops on the route and the requirement for London Circuit to be raised at Commonwealth Avenue where the light rail will travel. According to the Stage 2A business case released the same month, from the Alinga Street Stop to the Commonwealth Park Stop will be about 6 minutes. This business case estimated that the stage would deliver an estimated $150 million in benefits, but with a capital cost of an estimated $268 million. At the 2020 ACT election, the opposition Canberra Liberals expressed in-principle support for Stage 2, but did not commit to continuing the project. With the re-election of the Labor government at the election, Chief Minister Barr claimed a renewed mandate to continue Stage 2. Ongoing construction In November 2022, works to raise London Circuit commenced. These works reached "practical completion" in August 2025. In late 2024, wire-free rail vehicles began to be used on the Stage 1 route, in preparation for their use once the Stage 2A extension becomes operational. The extension is expected to be operational by early 2028. Stage 2B Consideration of route options Stage 2B, if pursued, will cross over Commonwealth Avenue Bridge and then travel to Woden predominately via Adelaide Avenue and Yarra Glen. In May 2017, design options for several sections of the route (not yet divided between Stages 2A and 2B) were presented to the public for comment. There were two options for the section between Lake Burley Griffin and Adelaide Avenue: a deviation to Barton with proposed stops at Old Parliament House, Brisbane Avenue and Sydney Avenue; or a more direct route via the Capital Circle. An alternate terminus that would have extended the route to the Canberra Hospital was dropped in December 2017. {{hidden text="Routes for the Woden extension presented in May 2017: "> [ { "type": "ExternalData", "service": "page", "title": "Canberra light rail - City to Woden (indicative routes - May 2017).map" }, { "type": "ExternalData", "service": "page", "title": "Canberra light rail - City to Woden (indicative stops - May 2017).map" } ] }} The longer route via Barton (Option 2) was selected by the ACT Government as the preferred route in April 2018. In March 2019, the Commonwealth Government offered its support for the extension to Woden, however, it favoured a different path around Capital Hill, arguing for a route along the State Circle (Option 1). A delay in the federal government response meant planning work for the line was postponed, though choosing to not pursue the Barton route could mean a simpler regulatory process. A cut and cover tunnel from Commonwealth Avenue will be constructed to ease the gradient and curve for light rail vehicles entering State Circle. Business case and costs In 2018, prior to the splitting of Stages 2A and 2B, the ACT Government concluded that Option 1 of Stage 2 would cost $1,074.7 million and produce $589.5 million worth of benefits, whilst Option 2 would cost $1,008.4 million and produce $587.3 million worth of benefits. The Government did not publish that report until 2025. The ACT Government's 2019 business case for Stage 2A included costs and benefit estimates for the whole of Stage 2. Those estimates implied that Stage 2B would cost $905 million and would produce $1,067 million worth of benefits. Regulatory approval and public consultation In July 2019, the ACT Government submitted a referral for Stage 2B to the Australian Department of Environment and Energy. In late 2025, additional public consultation was undertaken regarding specific infrastructure upgrades for the Stage 2B extension. == Potential further extensions ==

Stage 3: Belconnen to Canberra Airport In October 2019, the ACT Government released its infrastructure plan which included stage 3 of light rail going from Belconnen to Canberra Airport via Civic, with the Civic–Belconnen section built first. Stage 4: Woden to Tuggeranong In October 2019, the ACT Government released its infrastructure plan which included stage 4 extending from Woden to Tuggeranong via Mawson. The plan includes the following elements: == Political opposition and debate ==

In April 2024, the Canberra Liberals proposed an alternative from the ACT Government’s plans to extend the light rail network between the City and Woden. Instead, they suggested the establishment of dedicated bus lanes along the same corridor, presenting it as a more practical and financially responsible alternative to the proposed rail system. This proposal aimed to address growing public concerns about the cost, feasibility and long-term implications of the light rail extension, sparking widespread debate about the future of Canberra’s transport infrastructure. The Canberra Liberals argued that dedicated bus lanes would deliver substantial improvements in public transport connectivity and efficiency while avoiding the high upfront costs associated with light rail construction. Unlike light rail, which requires extensive investment in fixed infrastructure such as tracks, overhead wiring and stations, dedicated bus lanes could be implemented using existing roads with comparatively minor modifications. This, they contended, would make the project more cost effective and achievable within a shorter timeframe. Environmental considerations also played a role in the debate. While buses are increasingly adopting cleaner technologies such as electric and hydrogen fuel cells, light rail remains a zero-emission option powered by electricity. Supporters of the light rail extension highlighted its potential to reduce Canberra’s overall carbon footprint, contributing to the city’s ambitious climate change goals. They questioned whether a bus-based system could achieve the same level of sustainability in the long run. ==References==