The Minister for Transport has announced that the light rail depot in Mitchell is now fully operational.
Meegan Fitzharris joined Chief Executive of Canberra Metro, Glenn Stockton to tour the facility which she described as the state-of-the-art engine-room behind Canberra’s new light rail system.
Ms Fitzharris said the depot will house the 14 light rail vehicles and operate 24/7, 365 days of the year.
“It’s really exciting to see the depot now fully up and running, supporting the light rail system as it enters the final stages of testing,” Ms Fitzharris said.
“We are expecting thousands of passengers to use light rail each day and the depot will play a huge role in making sure the system works efficiently and is an enjoyable experience for Canberrans.”
She said the depot would also house 100 staff including 33 drivers, 16 customer service officers and a number of operational control centre duty managers who will monitor the rail corridor day and night.
Mr Stockton said the depot contained some of the latest security technology including live stream CCTV monitors on board light rail vehicles and at each stop to ensure safety.
“GPS tracking systems across the network enable us to provide real-time route information so that passengers always know when the next light rail vehicle is arriving,” Mr Stockton said.
“Within the operational control centre, not only will trained operators manage and supervise the performance of the light rail system, they’ll also work with emergency services in providing an immediate response to any incidents along the alignment,” he said.
