> A lightrail link down Northborne from a terminus just short of
>London circuit to Gungalhin would be a good start. Added advantages
>would be the line would serve EPIC (show grounds/racecourse) and a
>depot could be easily built in Mitchell. Run modern trams (3 car
>variotram) and suppliment them during the show and other major events
>with the aformentioned W's from melbourne if they ever release them.
>Also build a park and ride station somwhere in Mitchell as well.
>
Interesting that this was the exact route considered by the Rail
Subcommittee of the Sustainable Tranport Working Group last year as the
first stage of a Canberra light rail system.
A very basic system, consisting of a single line only (not doubled up)
and loop would cost around $25m for Civic and Gungahlin.
A system covering Tuggeranong, Woden, Civic, Belconnen and Gungahlin
would cost a little over $100m (see Appendix 2 of Canberra at the
Crossroads - see STWG's web page -
http://www.pcug.org.au/~parkerp/stwg.htm ).
This is considerably less than the several hundred million ($500m?)
quoted in the Booz-Allen report of a few years ago. However, politicians
still say that light rail is too expensive by quoting that report, even
though we think the costings are excessive, and the Booz-Allen report
assumes no patronage growth over the current bus-based system.
> Next run a line from Gungalhin to Belconnen and thence back to the
>city. With all the congestion that is on Northborne these days a tram
>with limited stops would have no problem competing time wise with cars
>and buses.
I'm not sure if a line from Gungahlin-Belconnen would attract as much
patronage as the lines to Civic.
So the cost may not be as prohibitive as some people suggest (though
still significant), but I'm in two minds as to whether light rail is
right for Canberra. My main problem is that it would involve as many
transfers as the current system of 333 express buses and feeders into
town centres for cross-suburban trips. And, for the uninitiated, to get
from an outer suburb to most other suburbs would require one to catch
three buses, and therefore to wait three times. This would be the same
whether we retain the current route structure or build a light rail
system.
In contrast, in a city of 300 000, it should be possible to redraw bus
routes so that many trips can be accommodated by taking one bus (ie
routes are made longer), and ALL of the remainder be possible by taking
two buses (ie only one transfer). This is achieved by through routing
most buses through the CBD and one, two or three other town centres.
All things considered, I would be inclined to try the bus solution first
(as is being done and will come into effect in July), and see if that
works before putting in light rail. If we are trying to reduce transfers
and waiting, light rail may even be a backward step, depending on how
through-routed buses work out in practice.
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Peter Parker parkerp@pcug.org.au
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