8/14/2019 Gungahlin Community Council Issue 112 - Light Rail Article

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GunSmoke 112 June–July2009 1

ACT MISSESACT MISSESACT MISSESLIGHT RAILLIGHT RAILLIGHT RAIL

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8/14/2019 Gungahlin Community Council Issue 112 - Light Rail Article

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GunSmoke 112 June–July2009 5

The recent major infrastructurefunding announcements in the

Federal Budget revealed what a half-hearted effort the ACT Government putinto Canberra’s light rail bid.

Clearly the Federal Government wassupportive of the light rail concept – they funded $365m for the first stage of oneon the Gold Coast.

But the bid for Canberra wentnowhere. Why? Many people suggestedthat the bid was merely a pre-election ploy to placate a movement that is getting a

strong head of steam – if you’ll pardonthe pun. Many pointed out that, ratherthan a staged approach and only asking for funding to kick off the first stage, thegovernment’s bid was an ‘all or nothing’approach that seemed designed to fail.

  And fail it did. Moreover, thesubmission proposed not even starting until 2011, when the Federal Governmentclearly wanted projects that couldcommence immediately.

  A look through the submissionprepared for the ACT Government by Price Waterhouse Coopers (at great costto ACT taxpayers) shows it to be a light-

  weight submission, full of broadmotherhood statements, complaining 

ACT misses light-rail opportunity ACT misses light-rail opportunity 

Photo & cover: Flexity Light Rail—Bombardier Transportation, Berlin

about the short submission timeframe,and a need for more work on bus options.

But the submission’s cost-benefitanalysis does not even include likely increased land sale prices or rates revenueresulting along key routes! This onemissing component would go so fartowards paying for the Gungahlin link atleast, and it didn’t rate even the mostbasic of costings? Truly amazing.

Putting aside that most criticalomission, what did the cost benefitanalysis find? That the whole network 

 would cost, over a four-year constructionperiod, $2012m. Over the 30-yearappraisal period, total operating andmaintenance costs would be $1222m.Savings or benefits resulting from lightrail over that same period included$1707m for highway savings, $543m bussystem savings, $35m environmentalsavings, and a likely underestimated$376m savings to consumers – us.

PWC boiled all this down to a returnon investment of 14.92% – not shabby atall. Factor in the crucial missing additionalland sale and rates revenues, and we havesomething that says ‘if the ACTGovernment does not go ahead with lightrail (with or without federal funding), it is

being grossly negligent with our funds.’  With many millions of dollars worth

of land sales coming up in Gungahlin – including a lot along the key FlemingtonRoad public transport corridor – it’s vitalthe ACT Government get serious aboutplanning a staged approach to light rail.

Obviously, the Gungahlin to Civicroute would be in the first stage, possibly 

  with links to the airport and SouthCanberra/Woden, then to Molonglo

 when that development gets going.  And it needs to make a public

commitment, so that it can start to reapincreased land values along these routes.Is this minority ACT Government

prepared to show vision and foresight onCanberra’s public transport?

c o m m u n i t y n e w s