Page 4380 - Week 12 - Thursday, 24 October 2019
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that looks towards the future, to the second half of the 2020s and beyond. Light rail has been a transformative project in my electorate of Yerrabi and has been the catalyst for growth on the northern side of Canberra. I am excited to see it extend to other areas of our city so that we can share the benefits of light rail with other parts of our city. Our ACT Labor government has plans to bring light rail to Commonwealth Park, then onwards to Woden. Connections to Mawson and Tuggeranong will follow after that.
Our ACT Labor government is working to ensure that we are delivering the public facilities and services that a growing city needs, through the ACT infrastructure plan that we released this month. The key priority in shaping the ACT infrastructure plan is to provide a high standard of service to the community across all sectors, and transport is one of those key sectors. Transport is the way that we move through our city. Transport connects us to our homes, workplaces and local community. Our government is committed to ensuring that we can all move around our city as it continues to grow. Canberra’s light rail network will keep our city moving.
I am incredibly proud to represent the electorate of Yerrabi. The ACT government has invested significantly in new infrastructure in Canberra’s north in recent years to support the growth of communities there, including delivering stage 1 of light rail. The first six months of light rail have been a success, with passenger numbers at levels not expected until 2021. Over 2.2 million trips have been recorded since the service began, and I am happy to report that light rail has a 90 per cent approval rating. In the six months since we opened it, light rail has transformed travel from Gungahlin to Civic. It has tackled congestion, and the buses it replaced have gone to other parts of Canberra.
I sometime drive to work from my home suburb in Gungahlin. When I am stuck in traffic and I see multiple red flashes of light rail pass my window, I realise how efficient and convenient the light rail is and I wish I was on one of them. For example, the other day it took me over 50 minutes to drive to work. When I took the light rail to work last week, I left my home at around 8.30 and I was at my office desk before 9 am.
I frequently visit residents in their homes and hold regular mobile offices to listen to any concerns and suggestions in the local community. I am pleased to report that I have received overwhelmingly positive feedback about the light rail on the ground. I recently met a woman in Gungahlin who told me that she absolutely loves the light rail and she uses the service every day to get to work. She told me that light rail made Canberra feel like a modern and mature city and she wanted to convey her appreciation to the ACT government for advocating for a transformative project. It turns out that kids like it too. I frequently give out cardboard cut-outs of light rail for children to assemble at home. The other day at my mobile office a young boy took a cardboard cut-out of the light rail and a few minutes later came back and asked if he could have one more for his mate next door.
The debate on light rail has truly been won. I know that residents in my electorate are feeling the benefits of light rail every single day, and it is improving the quality of life of many Canberrans. Rail infrastructure brings unique opportunities and growth that
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