Canberra - Light rail

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> Population growth and the tram: If you don't build it, they're still coming regardless

[SurfRail]

The ACT election is on later today.  The outcome will be crucial to whether the light rail project actually survives and comes to fruition.

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> Canberra's 'most important poll' too tight to call

Record levels of pre-polling mean the ACT will have a snapshot of voting patterns in the "most important election" since self-government by early Saturday evening.

But Canberrans will be going to the polls without knowing the true cost of flagship policies from the Liberals and Labor, which were dumped on Treasury right before deadline, leaving it unable to give them proper scrutiny.

Election-eve was punctuated by a string of late developments. Labor's misuse of fake Medicare cards was referred to the Australian Federal Police, while community clubs continued their vigorous campaign against Labor with full-page newspaper advertisements and a mass text-messaging campaign, which urged voters to favour the Liberals.

UnionsACT were making last-minute robo-calls to voters and continued to deliver 20,000 cards at bus stops promoting light rail, which closely resembled the "Transport Canberra" cards used for buses ...

[SurfRail]

Current results suggest more or less status quo - minority ALP government with the support of however many Greens are elected.

Slight swing to the government, bigger swing against the opposition and the Greens but flowing mainly to minor parties.

The Sex Party has got about 7% of the primary vote in one electorate.

[verbatim9]

Good sign! All hail the Canberra Light Rail.

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Canberra awaits outcome of Territory government elections

ACT Labor has won a fifth term as the Canberra Liberals contemplate 19 years in opposition.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr, in declaring victory on Saturday night, said Canberrans had voted for a positive vision of a city that was confident, self- reliant and where everyone had the opportunity to achieve their potential.

"Tonight I want to thank the people of Canberra for backing a positive plan for our city," he told the Labor Party faithful.

The result was a fundamental rejection of a narrow-minded conservative agenda, Mr Barr said.

The Labor leader confirmed he would work with returned Greens MLA Shane Rattenbury to form a government.

"There is absolutely no doubt that we will form a government in the coming week," Mr Barr said.

The Liberals went backwards on their 2012 performance, recording a 3.3 per cent swing against them.

Labor's vote improved marginally, up 0.2 per cent from the 2012 election.

Liberal leader Jeremy Hanson rang Mr Barr to congratulate him on retaining government, with the help of the Greens.

"It is the case that it is very difficult for us to form government and we have to acknowledge that from here, it is unlikely that we will do so," he told his party's celebration in an announcement greeted with loud booing. "That is a disappointing thing but tonight is not the night to dwell on that. There will be plenty of time for us to consider the ramifications of that." ...

Ding ding!! 

[SurfRail]

Light rail was the headline issue at this election.

Credit to DC Haas and the ACT Light Rail crowd for fighting the good fight.

[ozbob]

Light rail was the headline issue at this election.

Credit to DC Haas and the ACT Light Rail crowd for fighting the good fight.

+1

[ozbob]

"Tonight we can confidently say that Canberra has voted for Light Rail" #ACTvotes pic.twitter.com/8i0Y9PLvvt

— David Pope (@davpope) October 15, 2016

[verbatim9]

[verbatim9]

Brand new trees arrive for landscaping along the Canberra Light Rail Corridor --->

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/hundreds-of-trees-arrive-in-canberra-for-light-rail-corridor-on-northbourne-avenue-20161026-gsbnx1.html

[ozbob]

Canberratimes -->  Light rail to Woden: which way should it run?

With the territory election confirming the construction of Canberra's light rail, focus is already shifting to feasibility planning and detailed design development of the Stage 2 line from City to Woden.  Where should it run?  Adelaide Avenue and Yarra Glen, or perhaps a route that provides better connectivity with existing residential areas, workplaces, and schools?

On a prima facie examination, many may assume that the second stage route should replace and replicate the existing Blue Rapid express bus route along Adelaide Avenue with its small number of intermediate stops.  This route is principally established for, and is admirably well-suited to those commuters who desire and need rapid journeys from Tuggeranong and Woden to the City and return. ...

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> Serious work to begin on Woden light rail line as ACT government calls tenders on design and cost

Serious work is set to begin on the Woden tram link, as the government on Friday and next week calls for companies to finalise the route, estimate costs and patronage, investigate land development options, and a host of other feasibility work.

Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris said the only firm decision made about the route from Alinga Street to Woden was that the light rail line would cross the lake on Commonwealth Avenue bridge and end in the Woden town centre. The rest was up for study and feedback.

The work would help the government "define what stage 2 looks like precisely", including the alignment, the number and location of stops, and land development, and would feed into the business case.

"Commonwealth Ave bridge is a certainty, Civic to Woden is a certainty, and today is the start of reaching out to get the experts and the community involved to determine further detail about the stage 2 route," she said.

The government was yet to determine whether it would use State Circle or Capital Circle to round Parliament House.

Asked about a proposal from planner David Flannery, who is also Heritage Council chairman, for the line to make its way through the suburbs of Forrest, Deakin, Hughes and Garran, Ms Fitzharris said the government was open to all such ideas.

"That's an option. We don't think it's the most attractive option for a number of reasons. But we'll certainly be willing to look at all those options and see which one works best for the community, which delivers the benefits ... in terms of transport, in terms of urban renewal, in terms of amenity and in terms of rejuvenating different parts of the route. So it's all in the mix."

Asked about the problem of pedestrian access and commercial development alongside the nationally important routes such as Adelaide Avenue, Ms Fitzharris said. "They are all solvable problems, and they're all issues that present opportunities and challenges, but we're keen to explore those opportunities."

The location of the Woden town centre stop had not been determined, and the government was keen to look at possibilities for access also to Canberra Hospital.

The tender documents say the Woden line "will involve numerous commercial, technical, planning and other challenges. Nevertheless, such challenges must be addressed if the ACT government's vision for a citywide light rail network is to be realised".

Challenges included the need for technical, operational and contractual integration with the Gungahlin line while obtaining value for money, choosing the precise route alignment, "potential staging options", "packaging options", such as including other infrastructure beyond light rail in the work, and the delivery model (whether it would go to the consortium building and operating stage 1 or a new private partner, or be delivered in a different way).

The project also required planning approval from the National Capital Authority, had "potential bridge, tunnel and gradient engineering issues", issues to do with "traffic priorities and journey times", passenger access to stops, and the need for wire-free running, "including length and gradient issues over Lake Burley Griffin".

Tender documents say the proposed corridor is about 10 kilometres long via Deakin and Parliament House, with 10 stops.

The government called on Friday for tenders for work on "evaluating staging options", providing strategy and procurement advice, and developing the business case.

Next week it would call for bids to do technical support, transport modelling and communications, a spokesman said.

Ms Fitzharris said a decision on the detailed route would probably be made by the end of next year. The business case would be released publicly, she said.

The government was spending $25 million preparing stage 2, with $7 million allocated for the present round of tenders.

An industry briefing will be held on December 8.

The government plans to sign contracts for the building of the Woden line before the 2020 election, and Ms Fitzharris said it was doing everything it could to ensure continuity of work for the private sector, so there was no gap between construction of the Gungahlin line and work beginning on Woden.

[ozbob]

ABC News --> City to the Lake, light rail corridor in Canberra will have dedicated planning agency

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> New ACTION buses to be blue, light rail trams to be red

[verbatim9]

I like the blue. Se Qld are getting coloured coded for each line 👍

[ozbob]

Canberra light rail build to take hold in 2017 - https://t.co/HVb1ipSNM3 pic.twitter.com/2Nt3benVD6

— Rail Express (@RailExpressNews) January 11, 2017

[ozbob]

This week's light rail construction update is now available on our website. https://t.co/w0a7VnkHWT pic.twitter.com/4PpUIDHPk1

— Transport Canberra (@Transport_CBR) January 19, 2017

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> Light rail project director signs $740,000 15-month pay deal

The ACT government's light rail project director has just signed a contract that pays him almost $600,000 a year.

Scott Lyall also gets a furnished apartment, currently $875 a week, and a return airfare to Sydney each month, as well as expenses such as parking and mileage.

Mr Lyall's income is more than twice the salary paid to Chief Minister Andrew Barr, who earns just shy of $300,000. It is also substantially more than paid to his boss, Transport Canberra director general Emma Thomas.

Mr Lyall joined Capital Metro in November 2015 after the sudden departure of Stephen Allday, who was head of procurement and delivery. Mr Allday was paid $235,000 in salary with total remuneration of $282,000.

Mr Lyall was initially employed on a three-month contract which was extended to five months to the end of April 2016, for a total of $235,000. At the end of May 2016, he signed for another seven months, for $396,000. The amount equates to a little over $13,000 a week.

In January this year, Mr Lyall signed another contract, his longest yet. It covers 15 months, to April 2018, for $740,000. It has provision for two six-month extensions to April 2019.

For the first time, the contract spells out a daily rate, of $2250 a day (excluding GST) until May 31, then $2300 a day after that, paid for 324 business days. In April next year, Mr Lyall is entitled to request a 4 per cent rise.

By then, he would have earned about $1.4 million for just short of two-and-a-half years on the project.

Mr Lyall's latest contract is the first to specify accommodation on top of the salary. It says the government will pay accommodation "equivalent to the hire of a small single bed furnished apartment, currently $875 per week, inclusive of GST".

A search of All Homes (Fairfax owned) shows few one-bedroom apartments that expensive, although it seems $875 will rent a "luxury executive" furnished one-bedroom apartment in New Acton.

An ACT government spokesperson defended the substantial rate, saying Mr Lyall had been employed "in the context of an Australian boom in infrastructure spending and an exceptionally high demand for senior project managers with rail experience".

"Market rates for project directors with Mr Lyall's experience are buoyant," the spokesperson said. Canberra faced additional challenges given there was no rail industry here so experts had to come from interstate.

A human resources specialist had confirmed "that the infrastructure market for capable project directors and client-side leadership roles is extremely tight generally, and even tighter in the rail sector".

Mr Lyall was nevertheless "excellent value for money" and his daily rate was not unusual in the current market, the spokesperson said.

His daily rate also "sat well" with the rates paid by the ACT to other specialists.

Mr Lyall's job carried "substantially more responsibility and seniority" than Mr Allday's.

Among Mr Lyall's tasks is working out how to deliver future stages of the light rail project.

The line from Gungahlin to the city is being delivered through a public-private partnership, in which the government is paying a consortium led by Cimic (formerly Leightons) to build and operate the line.

The signing of a $939 million contract with the consortium adds a layer of complication to the procurement of the second stage, from the city to Woden. The government is yet to say whether it will use the same model of a public-private partnership.

In November, it called for tenders for a swathe of feasibility work - including choosing the precise route, estimating costs and patronage, investigating land development along the corridor, developing a business case, and choosing the procurement method.

The tenders close on Monday, January 30.

Ms Thomas was appointed from Adelaide to head the Capital Metro agency in 2013, signing a five-year contract with a salary of $325,200 (a total including superannuation, car and parking of $382,300), a rate linked to annual public service pay rises.

Ms Thomas is paid as a top public service executive. Mr Lyall is paid as a consultant, so is not on the public service pay scale. The government did not explain why he had been employed in that way.

But the spokesperson said he had extensive experience in major infrastructure in NSW, ACT and Victoria in the public and private sectors. In NSW, he managed more than $6 billion of major infrastructure projects.

[ozbob]

Construction Updates & Notices

Construction of stage one light rail from Gungahlin to the City has begun.

>> http://www.transport.act.gov.au/light-rail-project/construction

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> 12 light rail consultants commuting from interstate to Canberra

The ACT government has revealed that 12 consultants on the light rail project live outside Canberra and commute to the job.

Transport Canberra Deputy Director General. Duncan Edghill was responding to questions from Liberal leader Alistair Coe about the near $600,000 a year contract of light rail project director Scott Lyall. Mr Lyall also has an apartment paid for, at $875 a week, or $45,500 a year, and a monthly return airfare to Sydney.

Mr Edghill said of the 14 consultants on the tram project, just two lived in Canberra. He did not detail the arrangements for the others, but said accommodation was a typical part of such contracts. He believed that Mr Lyall's deal was the only one in which the government paid the rent directly to the landlord.

Mr Coe questioned the deal, given the government has no contract with the landlord - rather, a contract with Mr Lyall to cover accommodation at $875 a week.

"You're paying an entity that doesn't have a contract with the ACT government. You're paying an entity that has an arrangement with a consultant... Surely there is some procurement issues there," he said. "The approved contract is not with a landlord, the approved contract is with somebody else."

Mr Edghill responded, "We entered into a contract with Mr Lyall that was approved appropriately internally  that clearly contemplated that accommodation would be provided up to that dollar amount."

Mr Coe: "I'm not doubting that the contract exists. It's whether it complies with the procurement rules. And I would find it very hard to believe that a third party can sign a contract to then pay somebody else an amount of $875 a week. Did you take advice on that?"

Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris said she would take the question on notice.

Mr Edghill said if Mr Lyall was to get a more expensive apartment, the government would pay no more than $875 a week.

"To be honest, whether Mr Lyall is living in a hovel or a mansion is neither here nor there to us, what is of concern to us is that the dollar amount doesn't exceed the amount that Mr Lyall is entitled to," he said.

Mr Edghill said he was very confident that the deal with Mr Lyall was a good deal for Canberra and he had "certainly proved himself". The government was not operating in the ACT market, but in the national market.

"The project is obviously a light rail project and we don't have a light rail system in Canberra yet, so the expertise we need to source for specialist functions comes from outside Canberra. So there is a need for use to ask service providers to locate here in Canberra during the course of construction," he said.

The government had faced an added challenge last year, when the Liberals' promise to halt the project if they won government had made it difficult to recruit people as direct employees.

[ozbob]

ACT government signs suite of light rail stage 2 contracts https://t.co/gOt8glzB6Q pic.twitter.com/Q4BCSoAyib

— Canberra Times (@canberratimes) April 27, 2017

[ozbob]

Names of Canberra's first light rail stops revealed, next the designhttps://t.co/aBziWVhPVR

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) April 28, 2017

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> Canberra light rail: Options for stage two route to Woden revealed

The second stage of light rail could detour into the Parliamentary Zone on its way to Woden, according to a map of the proposed route published for consultation on Monday.

The ACT government unveiled two main routes to connect the city to Woden, one that would follow the arterial roads closely and another that would turn off through Barton.

* This flyover was produced by Fairfax Media and is indicative only

The detours up for debate are:

    Whether to go around London Circuit to the left or the right, with the right preferred, looping closer to the Australian National University and New Acton. The left circuit would go closer to the city, past the ACT parliament and the new ACT government office block, as well as closer to the future stadium site on Constitution Avenue.
    Whether to go straight around Capital Circle from Commonwealth Avenue to Adelaide Avenue, or take a detour through Barton. The longer route would travel along King Georges terrace in front of Old Parliament House, then cross Kings Avenue, with a dog leg, to National Circuit. It would loop along National Circuit past the Kurrajong Hotel, the Realm hotel, the National Press Club and big federal government office blocks to Canberra Avenue. It would turn up Canberra Avenue to join Capital Circle and from there head down Adelaide Avenue.

The government is considering two possible endpoints - the Woden town centre or the Canberra Hospital.

The hospital extension would head south along Callam Street towards Hindmarsh Drive and then east along Hindmarsh Drive.



No detail has yet been released on the cost or feasibility of the routes, Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris said they would be "workshopped" by the community to make sure the territory got bang for its buck.

"This engagement will inform our technical and expert planning to determine the Stage 2 route," Ms Fitzharris said in a statement.

"The proposed options consider things like liveability, travel times, passenger convenience and transport integration."

The map of the route shows 11 stops along the one route, 12 on the other and one on the extension, however the number of stops and their location is up for negotiation.

The indicative stops are: London Circuit (near the ANU), London Circuit (near Acton), Commonwealth Avenue (near King Edward Terrace), King George Terrace (near Old Parliament House), National Circuit (near Brisbane Avenue, Adelaide Avenue (near Hopetoun Circuit), Adelaide Avenue (near Kent Street), Yarra Glen (near Carruthers Street), Callam Street near the Phillip oval precinct and Callam Street near the Woden Town Centre.

While the first route is likely to be cheaper to build, the second route would mean more patronage from those who work or visit the Parliamentary Triangle.

The hospital extension, although again more costly, would be another way of getting more people on board.

According to the ACT government, close to 210,000 Canberrans will live, work or study within one kilometre of the Woden corridor by 2041.

The route is expected to be finalised this year, with contracts signed before the 2020 election.

Work on the second stage of the light rail appears to be ramping up after months of behind-the-scenes work following the ACT election.

Last week the ACT government signed a suite of contracts with consultants to design the second leg of light rail from Civic to Woden.

Meanwhile progress on stage one is ticking along, with 13 light rail stops for the Gungahlin to Civic leg announced last week.

[ozbob]

ABC news --> Could Canberra's light rail head to Barton instead of Parliament House?

Canberra's light rail line could bypass Parliament House and instead travel through the departmentally-dense suburb of Barton, under one of two proposed routes.

The ACT Government today revealed the two proposed routes for the second stage of the light rail project from Civic to Woden.

The first option travels from Civic around Capital Circle and onto Adelaide Avenue, while the second instead detours through Barton.

The Government encouraged Canberrans to have their say on the options.

Both require tracks to be laid across Commonwealth Avenue bridge, although exactly what that would look like is still the subject of technical analysis.

Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris said while the bridge was not a barrier to light rail, strengthening work would be required.

"In looking at the entire light rail network for the city, this is the most challenging route because we do need to get both over the lake and through the parliamentary zone," she said.

    "So we will need to weigh up the costs and the benefits of each route."

The Government is also working with the National Capital Authority to identify significant trees along the bridge.

"We remain open to whether the best route is aligned on the median of the road, the left or the right hand side of the road throughout the route," Ms Fitzharris said.
Options could see extension to hospital

Both routes include an extra option to extend the line from the Woden Town Centre to The Canberra Hospital.

Ms Fitzharris insisted the construction of the second stage would be similar in cost to the $700 million for the first from Gungahlin to Civic.

"We've said it's going to be comparable but there are some challenges and there are some different benefits to the route as well, particularly coming into this really important parliamentary triangle," she said.

The Government said it would weigh up the routes on multiple factors including cost, access to employment, tourism and patronage.

"These major infrastructure projects require very detailed and very considered technical input," Ms Fitzharris said.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr would not be drawn on whether the ACT Government would go it alone if the Commonwealth failed to front up with funding.

However, he insisted the Government was "very committed" to extending the light rail network and were given a strong mandate in the previous two elections.

He said he remained optimistic he could convince Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull through the Federal Government's City Deals initiative to sign on to the project, which will run through Commonwealth-owned land.

"They have skin in the game," he said.

"This prime minister can't go on a piece of public transport without a taking a selfie so I'm pretty confident that he supports the objective of better public transport in Australian cities."

[#Metro]

Strawman proposal. Look how wiggly the Barton detour is. Will easily be eliminated.

[SurfRail]

Parkes and Barton need to be on the future route to Fyshwick or further (eg Queanbeyan).  Interchange at Commonwealth Avenue is all that is needed to make that work.

The main goal should be to eliminate the Blue Rapid between Woden and the City and throw those buses at other suburbs.

[ozbob]

Proposed Gungahlin Canberra Light-Rail Stop and Designshttps://t.co/H4IiIwCo54 pic.twitter.com/EYyvmZrhsU

— john (@John_Hanna) May 22, 2017

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Transport_CBR/status/884895263541911553

[verbatim9]

In Canberra at the moment Light Rail steaming ahead. Northbourne Ave all excavated Some track concrete poured for some sections prior to track laying. All above ground, Terminus in the centre of Gungahlin Shopping Centre.

[ozbob]

 

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/889194424848142336

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> Light rail to hit Canberra tracks for testing from January

Light rail vehicles could be running on the Mitchell to Gungahlin line from January, when the commissioning and testing phase of Canberra Metro's $710 million project gets under way.

Transport minister Meegan Fitzharris toured the site of the Mitchell depot on Wednesday, where stabling yards, maintenance sheds and an administration office for light rail are under construction.

An announcement on the route for stage two is coming within weeks, the first tracks will be laid soon and the light rail stops have been given the tick of approval by the National Capital Authority.

"There's no turning back from here," Ms Fitzharris said.

Canberrans who have come along the route recently will have seen enormous progress, we have construction at every stage of the route now."

Scenario testing will take place between the Mitchell depot and the Gungahlin terminus from January to July next year. It is hoped the first passengers will use the service by August.

But progress has come with disruption and there is plenty more to come.

The intersection of Cooyong Street and Barry Drive will again shut this weekend and the worst is yet to come as construction intensifies closer to the centre of the city.

Ms Fitzharris said she was confident the disruption would be "minimised" and dismissed comparisons to George Street in Sydney, where light rail construction has killed trade.

"Each episode of disruption is limited to 54 hours so that's a very short period," she said.

"It's a very well planned project, of course George Street is very different to this route and one of the reasons for that is this route was build for light rail so we know there's been planning for 100 years to have mass transit down the majority of this route."

She said they had been working with the Canberra Business Chamber to mitigate the impact of construction on businesses with retail frontage in the light rail construction zone.

"What I'm confident they do know is that when the project is completed their businesses will benefit and they'll have been informed along the way," Ms Fitzharris said.

The government is soon to reveal more detail about the Elouera Street light rail station and the proposed Northbourne Plaza.

"That is also a really important part of this project in the city, and that's to really liven up the area between the Melbourne and Sydney buildings," Ms Fitzharris said.

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> Light rail stage two unlikely to go to Canberra Hospital due to technical constraints

The next stage of Canberra's light rail project is unlikely to extend as far as Canberra Hospital, despite more than half of Canberrans surveyed on the project backing the extension.

A report on public consultations for the Stage Two light rail route to Woden shows a range of "technical constraints" on the capital's main public hospital could stop the train going all the way to the hospital.

While the government has not released an official costing of the Stage Two project, Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris has said it would be "comparable" to the Gungahlin line, which is expected to cost around $939 million.

Of the 1364 residents who responded to the ACT Government's online survey on the project, 56 per cent, or 761 people, backed Option 2b, which would run through Parkes and Barton and all the way to Canberra Hospital.

The second most popular route was Option 2a, which ran through Parkes and Barton but stopped in Woden town centre, followed by the two options going past Parliament House, instead of through Parkes.

Given the technical issues with the extension to Canberra Hospital, the government is likely to pursue Option 2a, but a final decision is expected to be made in September.

If the route does travel through Parkes and Barton, it could potentially add five or six minutes to the travel time from Woden to Civic, although detailed technical studies are underway to confirm that difference.

The report also shows that recent investigations since the four options were announced revealed a range of technical constraints to the entire southern expansion and "potential operational and hospital access issues".

Across the entire project, constraints found so far included heritage buildings, sensitive landscapes, the gradient of the bridge over Lake Burley-Griffin, radii of bends and traffic volumes that could impact the final route.

A range of other concerns were also voiced by residents groups, business owners and property developers, including maintaining green space and concerns around heritage and property zoning along the light rail corridor.

Residents also reported their concerns about whether the light rail would replace existing bus services, the cost of the project and cost of light rail tickets as well as any potential impact it could have on bus ticket prices.

Others voiced concerns about the distance from stops in Barton to Manuka for shopping and Manuka Oval for sporting events.

The most popular stop locations identified in the report were along Canberra Avenue, Kings Avenue, in Barton and on Melbourne and Brisbane avenues.

While Woden Valley Community Council wanted to ensure it helped develop Woden town centre, residents groups in Deakin and Yarralumla wanted to protect green space along the corridor, particularly horse paddocks along Adelaide Avenue.

The Property Council and Inner South Canberra Community Council supported rezoning land along the route.

The Kingston Barton Residents Group also asked the government whether the entire corridor would be rezoned for more 'mixed use' developments, but it is still unclear what zones will be chosen along the route.

The government did not respond to questions about the specific technical constraints to the hospital extension by deadline, as those constraints were not detailed were not detailed in the report.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Transport_CBR/status/916120979176292354

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> ACT government says light rail on schedule for 2018 as first tracks laid in Franklin


The first tracks in Canberra's light rail project have been laid in Franklin.  Photo: Dion Georgopoulos

The first light rail tracks have been laid in Franklin as the government remains confident the first stage of the project is on schedule to be operating by late 2018.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr and transport minister Meegan Fitzharris were on-site at Flemington Road where the first tracks were being put in.

Mr Barr said the milestone in the Territory's largest ever infrastructure project was a message to the sceptics who said it would never occur.

"We're keen to demonstrate there is considerable progress being made on the construction side," he said.

"We are the fastest growing state or territory in the nation the moment.

"So we do need to not only invest in new transport infrastructure to meet that growing population but we also need to align our city's development along those transport corridors."

Ms Fitzharris said the project remained on track and on budget to be running by late 2018.

She said the major milestone in the $939 million project - which will see a light rail line take shape from Gungahlin to the city centre - came a few months before the arrival of the first trams.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/921425952445407232

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> First tram leaves Spain for Australia

Chief Minister Andrew Barr has shared footage of the eye-catching red light rail vehicle making its way from a factory in Zaragoza to a port in Santander.

The tram, travelling on the Heogh Berlin, is expected to arrive in Port Kembla then Canberra from Spain in mid-December.

The ACT government will spend about $65 million on a fleet of 14 trams, each of which will be 33 metres long with 66 seats and capacity to carry 207 people.

Rolling stock company Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles is constructing the vehicles.

The Gungahlin to Civic leg of the $939 million light rail project is expected to be running by late next year.

Transport Canberra and City Services this week announced a series of closures expected to affect people who travel on Northborne Avenue and Flemington Road between now and December.

The first closure will be at the Barton Highway and Northbourne Avenue intersection from 10pm Friday until 4am on Monday.

Traffic will not be able to turn right onto Northbourne Avenue from the Barton Highway or right onto the Barton Highway from the Federal Highway.

From 8pm on Sunday until 6pm December 10, the Flemington Road intersection of Sandford Street and Morisset Road will be closed to all traffic turning right into Sandford Street and Morisset Road from Flemington Road, and closed to all traffic travelling across Sandford Street and Morisset Road.

From 10pm November 17 until 4am November 20, traffic will not be able to turn right into Mouat Street and Antill Street from Northbourne Avenue. Northbound and southbound traffic will remain unaffected.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Transport_CBR/status/930918597295255553

[ozbob]

;

[verbatim9]

They seem to have the right approach especially with allowing bikes onboard and having wi-fi activated.