News - Transport

A meeting will be held to discuss reforming as a group to explore options for a light rail network in the ACT region. This initial meeting will be held at the Dickson Tradies Club (in the tram which is located in the dining room). The meeting time is 5.30pm to 7pm Wednesday 22nd August.

There are a number of matters that indicate that this might be a good time to try to get some focus on a light rail network. These include:

1. The Action/Public transport enquiry, that is due on the 30th August.
2. Options re: Federal Government funding for public transport/environmental initiatives. Should there be a change of government.
3. Continuing media interest in light rail as a public transport option for the ACT region.

It should be noted that during the Public Transport consultations (held during 2002\ 2003) there was strong support for engaging a suitable qualified organisation to explore the possible options for establishing a light rail network linking all districts of the ACT and Queanbeyan. The scope of this project should have included a complete breakdown of costings for each district and options for sourcing funds or entering into private/government construction and operation of the network. Current ACT government consideration of light rail is based on inaccurate costings that are estimated to be inflated by 300%.

For Gungahlin, commitment to light rail (or another quality mass transport option) will encourage people to the area who are in a position where the second car may be a convenience they can do without. It may also encourage organisations, planning to establish or relocate employment opportunities, to look at Gungahlin as an area with stability, endorsement, modern infrastructure and long-term vision.

Over the past five years, land along Flemington Road (in Mitchell, Harrison and Gungahlin) has been sold without a commitment to light rail. The opportunity to encourage suitable development and link betterment taxes to development focused around light rail boarding stations has been partly lost; but some development along the Flemington Road corridor could be held back until the light rail options are fully explored. Suitable "light rail focused" development along Constitution Ave, Northbourne Ave and Macarthur Ave should be held back until a comprehensive consideration of light rail is completed.

There is a desperate need to ensure that land sales or road and intersection construction does not take away the option of providing a light rail corridor along Flemington Road or any other suitable corridor identified for light rail, throughout the ACT.

Other new technologies are also an option, but the longer the delays in making a commitment to a quality mass public transport solution, the less money will be recouped from additional land revenue to help pay for it. At this time, indications are that a large proportion of the cost to build the light rail link from Civic to Gungahlin and other areas of the ACT region could be recouped from additional land revenue and betterment taxes received from the sale and development of land adjacent to light rail boarding stations.

Staging of light rail development:

With environmental issues now becoming an election issue there may be options for encouraging federal funding for light rail development.  Also, now that the federal government has committed significant resources to the construction of the Defence facility at Bungendore, light rail may be a viable option that could provide an environmentally acceptable workforce transport solution for the facility.  By utilising existing rail lines and coupling an ACT light rail network to this, a quick and cost-effective service could be provided with minimum resources.  The first stages of this network would be:

1. Construct a park and ride facility adjacent to the rail line at Gilmore. This could be also used for bus transport
2. Junction the Cooma/Queanbeyan/Kingston and provide a north west turn for the Cooma/Kingston turn
3. Construct a light rail line from Fyshwick (west of the Monaro Hwy underpass), along the Dairy Flat Rd to Russell Drive
4. Construct a light rail line along Constitution Ave to Vernon Circle
5. Construct a light rail line along Northbourne Ave to EPIC and construct a park and ride facility at EPIC
6. Construct a light rail line along Macarthur Ave to the AIS and construct a park and ride facility at the AIS

Note: Light rail drive motors could be powered by environmentally acceptable options, such as those being introduced into the Action Bus fleet

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