Page 1699 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 15 May 2019
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MS FITZHARRIS: I can guarantee that both the drivers and Transport Canberra will make every effort, as they have always done under an arrangement where drivers volunteer for weekend shifts, to ensure that we can deliver our much improved weekend network.
Visitors
MADAM SPEAKER: I draw members’ attention to the presence in our gallery of some community members from U3A and COTA who have been in as part of our education program. Welcome to your Assembly.
Questions without notice
Light rail—patronage
MS LE COUTEUR: My question is also to the Minister for Transport and relates to the fantastic news that public transport use is substantially higher than at this time last year. Minister, if light rail overcrowding continues past the end of the free travel period, what options does the government have to increase capacity at peak periods?
MS FITZHARRIS: It is terrific that we see public transport patronage, boardings and the number of MyWay cards up right across the network. Certainly it is the case that patronage on light rail has been outstanding.
The question we are now faced with is how we can increase capacity and potentially increase the frequency. It has been the case that we have been able to request Canberra Metro to add an additional service in the 7.45 to 8.15 peak period. This will ensure that we can increase capacity during that peak period in the morning. We have also expanded the peak period in the afternoon, particularly to cover school services because there has been considerable take up of school services right along the route from 3 pm. The original peak period to 6 pm has now been extended to 6.30.
I note that the business case—which those opposite had many issues with, including that there would be very limited patronage on light rail, saying it would be, in their words, a “white elephant”; I also note that it is the first business case published by a government into an infrastructure project—had estimated patronage in 2021 of 15,120 boardings. Already we are 10 per cent above that, with 16,500 boardings.
MS LE COUTEUR: Minister, what options is the government looking at to address the same problem; that is, full buses which are bypassing passengers on routes like the R4 rapid from Tuggeranong town centre to Belconnen town centre?
MS FITZHARRIS: We are now in week 3 of the new bus network. What we saw in week 1 was what you would see in week 1 of any new bus network rolling out, not least a bus network that had had the considerable change and addition of services as was seen three weeks ago. We have seen a number of issues with patronage being higher than we expected. Of course with rapid services during the peak times there is usually another rapid service following in the next five of six minutes.
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