At our October meeting we passed a motion that called on the ACT Government, if it does build the light rail, to commit to:
* building all of the fifteen light rail stops shown in the September Industry Briefing presentation unless there is a business case that clearly demonstrates the advantages of having fewer stops;
* publishing the criteria that it intends to use to determine which stops to retain; and
* conducting public consultation on which stops should be retained.
On 4 November the Chief Minister provided the following response:
Thank you for your email of 16 October 2014 on behalf of the North Canberra Community Council about the motion passed by the Council in relation to Canberra’s light rail project, Capital Metro. I note your motion called on the ACT Government to commit to:
building all of the fifteen light rail stops shown in the September Industry Briefing presentation unless there is a business case that clearly demonstrates the advantages of having fewer stops;
publishing the criteria that it intends to use to determine which stops to retain; and
conducting public consultation on which stops should be retained.
The fifteen stops (including termini) you mention were identified in the early design which was subject to community consultation. From the fifteen stops, the community was asked to select the preferred thirteen stops (including termini). The thirteen stops now selected have been identified through a combination of feedback from the community as well as patronage and usages estimates. The remaining two stops previously identified will not be built in the initial construction of Capital Metro, however future proofing provisions will be made to allow these stops to be built in the future as required with minimal impact on the Capital Metro operations.
On 15 September 2014 Minister for Capital Metro Simon Corbell MLA, announced that the Capital Metro Business Case had been approved by the government and that the government would proceed with the Capital Metro project. On 31 October 2014 Minister Corbell and I released the Capital Metro Business Case as part of our commitment to delivering the project in an open and transparent manner. The business case can be viewed through the following link: http://www.capitalmetro.act.gov.au/the-case-for-light-rail/the-business-case .
The business case entails the design and construction of the Capital Metro light rail project with associated stop, depot, road, signalling and preparatory works and the ongoing operation and maintenance of the light rail system.
I am advised that Capital Metro Agency staff will be providing a project update at the next North Canberra Community Council meeting on 19 November 2014. I encourage you to continue engaging with the Capital Metro Agency regarding the Council’s enquiries.
Again, I thank you and the North Canberra Community Council for taking the time to write to me
about the Capital Metro project.
Yours sincerely
Katy Gallagher MLA
Chief Minister
04 NOV 2014