Canberra Metro has been awarded a major light rail government contract to provide five new light rail vehicles (LRVs), modify Canberra’s existing light rail fleet, and build an expanded depot.
Chris Steel, ACT Minister for Transport and City Services, described the contract as “a critical milestone for the delivery of the Stage 2A extension of light rail to Commonwealth Park”, and said it would support future services to Woden.
“We need to order new LRVs now, and upgrade our existing fleet and depot, to ensure we have enough vehicles manufactured, delivered, tested, and ready to start services to Commonwealth Park when construction of the track is completed,” Mr Steel said.
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Five new LRVs from the Spanish manufacturer Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) will be delivered from 2024. These will be built for Canberra’s future light rail system, Mr Steel said, and will support the same high frequency services as the first stage.
The five new LRVs will allow existing vehicles to be temporarily moved out of service, to retrofit them with batteries, without impacting current light rail services.
The existing light rail fleet of 14 vehicles will be retrofitted with onboard batteries, so all vehicles can operate on the wire-free extension to Commonwealth Park and on the future Stage 2B extension to Woden.
This showed the government’s commitment to delivering light rail to Commonwealth Park and the Parliamentary Triangle to Woden, Mr Steel said.
The light rail depot at Mitchell will be expanded so the larger fleet of LRVs can be maintained.
The depot work is expected to be completed in mid-2024, before the new vehicles arrive.
“The LRV modifications and depot expansion will increase the network’s capability to improve connectivity for people needing to travel for work or to access services and events in the southern part of the city,” Alicia Payne, MP for Canberra, said.
The project and associated works are expected to support up to 1,000 jobs – “a significant amount of local employment,” Ms Payne said.
The next steps in the light rail Stage 2A project are main construction works to raise London Circuit, which will commence soon.
An environmental assessment and works approval application for the Stage 2A project will be submitted, so the light rail line can be constructed once London Circuit is raised.
Canberrans will be able to have their say on the final light rail design early next year, when it goes on public display as part of the works approval application.
Stage 2A is jointly funded by the Australian and ACT Governments.
“The Australian Government understands the importance of investing in reliable and efficient transport to help commuters and travellers navigate their home,” Catherine King, Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, said.
“This is another significant step in a project that will reduce congestion and improve travel times.”
Building Light Rail Stage 2 to Woden is an item of the Parliamentary and Governing Agreement of the 10th Assembly.
