Canberra light rail: What's happening with stage two to Woden?
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You have probably heard a lot of talk about the next stage of Canberra's light rail network, headed for Woden.
It is a complex project — spanning several years — with a lot to take in.
There have been arguments over the route, debates over its affordability and of course that pesky question of just how we are going to get it across Lake Burley Griffin.
Here is a quick rundown of everything you need to know.
Where is the route headed?
Stage two of light rail will join up with stage one — the Gungahlin line — at Alinga Street in the city.
It will head west, past New Acton, before crossing Commonwealth Avenue bridge, passing in front of Old Parliament House and snaking through Barton.
From there the route will join up with Adelaide Avenue before reaching its destination in the Woden town centre.
How much will it cost?
The Government says even its own figures should be treated with "exceptional caution".
And it is not too hard to see why: Initial estimates put the project between $1.3 billion and $1.6 billion.
That is potentially more than double the cost of stage one, which came in at $707 million.
What will it look like?
The Woden line is a very different project to the Gungahlin line, which follows a fairly straight route along wide medians.
It is expected light rail to Woden will cross the lake via a new bridge in the middle of Commonwealth Avenue, and run wire-free through much of the Parliamentary Zone (both of which will increase the cost).
The ACT Government is also exploring things like so-called grass tracks to help hide the infrastructure in some areas.
Is it actually going to be built?
That is a bit of an open question.
The ACT Government is waiting for (and needs) approval from the Commonwealth before it can move forward.
And the Commonwealth could (in theory) put its metaphoric foot down unless even more expensive changes are made to the project.
With that in mind, the territory is holding off on its business case and any decision about whether it is ultimately worth it.
When might it be up and running?
If the Commonwealth gives the all-clear, the ACT Government is looking to attract construction partners in late 2019, with contracts to be signed before the 2020 election.
Construction could then begin in the 2020-21 financial year, and you could be catching light rail to Woden in 2023-24.
Of course, that is all just educated guess work — the Government is quick to warn nothing is concrete until the Commonwealth gives the green light.
Topics: states-and-territories, urban-development-and-planning, canberra-2600, act
