A report on the delivery of the ACT’s first stage of light rail has confirmed the project was completed under budget and almost on time.
Minister for Transport, Meegan Fitzharris said light rail had been the biggest single infrastructure project for the city, and was already having a transformative effect.
“Light rail has been one of the first Public-Private Partnerships that the ACT Government has entered into, and there is a lot we can take from the success of this project,” Ms Fitzharris said.
“The key outcomes of this report confirm the final cost of construction at $675 million, and the Benefit Cost Ratio increase from 1:2 to 1:3, noting that this could improve even further as future benefits are realised.”
She said another key outcome was the number of Canberrans embracing the new services, with patronage already exceeding projected estimates.
The Minister said that while the Government had previously released the business case and contract for the project, this new report provided more details about the project’s performance — a degree of detail not typically provided by other major projects around Australia.
She said around 5,000 people worked on light rail, and the Government would build on that industry knowledge through the planning for Stage Two from City to Woden.
“Canberra is now better connected with the light rail route from Gungahlin to the City, and this work now continues with the second stage of light rail,” Ms Fitzharris said.
“We are also in the process of referring Stage Two for assessment under the Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act — a key step to clarifying heritage and environment considerations for the project,” she said.
The new 56-page report can be accessed at this PS News link.
