The first stage of Canberra’s light rail service marked its first 12 months of operations this week with over 4.2 million trips taken since it first began rolling along the rails.
Minister for Transport, Chris Steel said that before the pandemic the service was boarding about 15,047 passengers each day, numbers that hadn’t been expected until 2021.
“Our city has been forever changed by frequent, reliable and comfortable mass transit in light rail,” Mr Steel said.
“Light rail has changed the way people view and use public transport with very high satisfaction levels and more people than ever using public transport in Canberra,” he said.
“Light rail hasn’t just benefited public transport users, it has reduced traffic on our roads with data showing up to a 20 per cent reduction in vehicles travelling along Northbourne Avenue during the morning peak period.”
Mr Steel said the latest customer survey revealed 94 per cent of customers were satisfied with the ease of use of the light rail and it was now making up around 20 per cent of all public transport boardings.
He said the light rail services even had to be increased during peak times to manage the demand and crowding on vehicles in February.
“We are committed [to] building on this success and extending the benefits of light rail to Woden which will create a north-south spine for the network,” Mr Steel said.
