Canberra Light Rail Plan Pushes South to New Campus

Canberra’s light rail route continues to expand with plans revealed to take the service around Parliament House and then south to a new university campus at Woden.

Planning documents for Stage 2B have been released and detail precincts based around stops at Commonwealth Avenue, Parliament House, Inner South, Yarra Glen and Woden.

Depending on the final line’s alignment, National Triangle and Barton may also have light rail precincts and stations, the draft Environmental Impact Statement that is on exhibition until September 5 shows.

The line is expected to serve students from the new university Canberra Institute of Technology Woden campus that will welcome students this month.

The 22,500sq m campus across five levels comprises 66 learning spaces to attract 6500 students a year, adding to the booming tertiary offering in the capital. 

The first stage of Canberra’s light rail from Gungahlin Place to Alinga Street in the city opened in 2019.

The 1.7km Stage 2A is now under construction and expected to be complete by 2027. It has so far cost about $575.3 million, funded by the territory and federal governments.

▲ The Canberra Light Rail project will eventually include five stages under current plans.

Once complete, construction on Stage 2B to Woden is expected to start and open in 2033, which will support “more housing, new public spaces and better multi-use precincts”, the Federal Government said.

The planning documents show more than 100,000 homes will be needed by 2050 and that 70 per cent of new housing will be built on the existing urban footprint, concentrated in the city.

The plans include a new bridge between the existing Commonwealth Avenue bridges that will carry the light rail over Lake Burley Griffin.

▲ There are two options for light rail alignment around Parliament House and south to Woden.

New stations are expected to be built at Woden Public Transport Interchange, Phillip Oval, Carruthers Street, Kent Street, Hopetoun Circuit, Melbourne Avenue and Sydney Avenue.

The Parliament House stations will be at Kings Avenue or the Treasury and Bligh Street depending on final alignment. 

Stage 3 is to run east-west from Belconnen to the city, then connect out to the Canberra Airport via the Russell defence precinct. 

The final stage will carry the line further south from Woden to Tuggeranong via Mawson.