THE Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government has signed a $A 577m ($US 387m) contract for the Stage 2A extension of Canberra’s light rail network.
The 1.7km extension will take the light rail line from its current terminus at Alinga Street to Commonwealth Park via City West.
To ensure an efficient service with the current light rail network, the government undertook a single select procurement with the Canberra Metro consortium of Pacific Partnerships, CPB Contractors, John Holland Group, UGL, Mitsubishi Corporation, Aberdeen Infrastructure Investments, DB Engineering & Consulting, CAF and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) for the project.
The federal government has contributed an additional $A 125.5m to the project, which means the ACT government and the federal government will evenly split project financing.
The ACT government says the extension is scheduled for completion in January 2028.
The extension includes three new stops at Edinburgh Avenue, City South and Commonwealth Avenue. The extension along London Circuit is expected to transform the southern part of the CBD, providing public transport to major employment and future housing precincts in City West, the Australian National University (ANU), City South, Acton Waterfront and Commonwealth Park.
Light rail to Commonwealth Park will be catenary-free to support National Capital Authority requirements for a future connection through the Parliamentary Triangle. In a Canberra first, the light rail corridor to Commonwealth Park will include sections of green track where the light rail line sits within a bed of specially selected grass or plants instead of concrete.
CAF is supplying five new LRVs equipped with batteries to support operation on catenary-free sections under an agreement confirmed in August 2022. These vehicles will be progressively delivered from 2024, enabling operation to continue as the existing fleet of 14 Urbos 3 LRVs is withdrawn from service to be retrofitted with traction batteries.
ACT transport minister, Mr Chris Steel, says Stage 2A was the next step in extending Canberra’s mass transit line to provide reliable and sustainable transport to the city. “A recent survey indicates that 51% of current light rail users will use at least one of the new Stage 2A light rail stops,” he says.
For detailed data on Australian light rail projects, subscribe to IRJ Pro.
