Canberra's world class light rail system will enhance its capacity with five new wireless light rail vehicles (LRVs) along with upgrades to the existing fleet.
The new LRVs will be delivered progressively in 2024 by manufacturer CAF, who supplied the original fleet, while all the current vehicles will be upgraded with onboard energy storage so that they can operate wire-free for future extensions of the light rail network.
Canberra’s light rail depot will also be expanded to house the new LRVs and to allow room for the onboard energy storage upgrade and ongoing LRV maintenance.
The new contract to upgrade the light rail network is jointly funded by the Federal and ACT governments.
Announcing the contract to provide the new LRVs, ACT Minister for Transport and City Services Chris Steel said: “Moving to retrofit all existing LRVs with onboard energy systems for wire-free running shows our commitment to delivering light rail, not only to Commonwealth Park, but right through the Parliamentary Triangle to Woden.
“The five new vehicles will be built for Canberra’s future light rail system and will support the same high frequency services on the next stage that have been embraced by Canberrans on the first stage.”
Federal Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King said: “The Australian Government understands the importance of investing in reliable and efficient transport to help commuters and travelers navigate their way home.
“This is another significant step in a project that will reduce congestion and improve travel times.”
The first stage of Canberra’s light rail has been delivered under a public private partnership between the ACT Government and the Canberra Metro consortium which includes CIMIC Group companies Pacific Partnerships (sponsor and equity funding), CPB Contractors (design and construction) and UGL (operations and maintenance).
Pacific Partnerships Managing Director Simon Nicholls said, “Light rail is a key part of Canberra’s growing integrated transport system which is connecting people with employment, social and cultural hubs.
“We are proud to be working with the Federal and ACT Governments to deliver these important upgrades to future proof the network for further expansion.
“We remain continually committed to ensuring that we provide Canberrans with a light rail network that upholds the highest benchmarks in terms of safety, accessibility, sustainability and reliability.”