Canberra Light Rail
High quality, reliable and frequent public transport
Canberra's light rail, the ACT Government’s most significant transport infrastructure project, is delivering high quality, reliable and frequent public transport along one of the city’s busiest corridors.
It’s a key part of Canberra’s growing, integrated transport system which is connecting people with employment, social and cultural hubs, reducing congestion and ensuring Canberra continues to be one of Australia’s most liveable cities.
Canberra’s Light Rail Stage One was delivered under a PPP between the ACT Government and the Canberra Metro consortium.
The consortium includes CIMIC Group companies Pacific Partnerships (equity funding and project leadership), CPB Contractors (design and construction) and UGL (operations and maintenance).
The PPP is for approximately 23 years and includes the construction and operation of Stage One of the light rail network for 20 years. At the end of the contract term, the ACT Government will assume ownership of the light rail network assets.
Operational achievements
Services commenced in April 2019 and more than 65,000 services have maintained accessible, safe and reliable journeys with a service frequency reliability of at least 99.9% percent, delivering services every 5/6 minutes in peak and 10/15 minutes in off-peak.
Customer satisfaction surveys undertaken every six months measure ease of use, reliability, customer service, cleanliness and safety and security. A performance target average score of at least 6.5 is required, and results from the most recent survey (March 2023) showed all areas exceeded this target. Very high satisfaction rates of 93% - 98% were achieved across all survey categories.
Green loan a first
Canberra Metro is operating Stage 1 on 100% renewable electricity and in 2020, it became the first Australian transport public private partnership (PPP) to execute a green loan on the basis of the project’s carbon reduction benefits.
This sustainability achievement aligns with the Australian Capital Territory’s (ACT’s) zero net carbon emissions strategy for the project and is based on design, construction and operational sustainability initiatives.
Innovation continues
Canberra Metro continues to innovate and is installing onboard energy storage on the five new LRVs being built for Canberra Light Rail Stage 2, as well as on the current fleet’s 14 existing LRVs.
An onboard battery system will recharge while operating on the rail line and via regenerative braking, reducing the need for overhead electricity wiring on the next Stage 2 line.