Page 1561 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 14 May 2019
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Mr Wall: If you want to turn your large business into a small one.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Wall, I do not want to have to warn you.
Light rail—implementation
MS ORR: My question is to the Minister for Transport. Can the minister please provide an update on the implementation and development of light rail in Canberra?
MS FITZHARRIS: I thank Ms Orr very much for the question. I am delighted to provide an update on the implementation and development in Canberra. The city to Gungahlin light rail project is the first of a city-wide light rail system and an integrated public transport network to support our growing city. We are very pleased to see the project delivered under budget at $675 million.
The funding and delivery model of the project also broke new ground, with the ACT government entering into one of its first public-private partnerships. All stages of the project were overseen by a strong governance structure, and staff across the ACT public service, the private sector and Canberra Metro have worked collaboratively, particularly with local businesses, to deliver this vital project.
The ACT government’s focus on quality and achieving the best possible customer experience for the people of Canberra prompted many improvements to the project’s scope during its detailed design and delivery stage. These included an improved light rail stop design with improved aesthetics, larger sheltered areas and higher quality public seating, incorporation of public art in the design of each stop, and comprehensive customer engagement to optimise passenger accessibility and comfort.
It was wonderful to see the years of hard work come to fruition on 18 April when the community preview loop opened, followed by the first day of operations on Saturday, 20 April. We are now working to extend light rail to Woden, creating a north-south spine of the light rail network and delivering a world class transport network to even more people and proving those doubters wrong.
MS ORR: Minister, can you please also share an overview of the first few weeks of light rail stage 1 operations?
MS FITZHARRIS: Light rail from Gungahlin to the city, as I mentioned, started its first day of operations on Saturday, 20 April. On that day alone, over 25,000 people enjoyed the experience of hopping on board light rail for the first time in the ACT. We had 10 vehicles running and 130 trips that covered 1,560 kilometres. The city and Gungahlin termini came to life with light music, kids entertainment and barbeques for people waiting to ride.
For Tuesday, 30 April MyWay data shows 90,854 boardings across bus and light rail, our largest day of public transport ever. The record figure includes 16,549 boardings on light rail, meaning that we have already surpassed the business case estimates two years ahead of schedule. More than 77,000 light rail trips were taken during the first
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