ACT Advances Canberra Light Rail Stage 2A to Commonwealth Park with Wire-Free Track Laying and London Circuit Transformation

Extending the Nation's Capital Rapid Transit Spine

CANBERRA, Australian Capital Territory — Delivering an essential chapter in the sustainable transformation of the nation's capital, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government and delivery partner Canberra Metro are accelerating heavy construction across the landmark Canberra Light Rail Stage 2A project. Extending the popular rapid transit system 1.7 kilometres south from its existing Alinga Street terminus in the City Centre to Commonwealth Park, the project creates the pivotal transit link connecting Civic to the Parliamentary Triangle and southern suburbs.

Achieving critical civil engineering milestones, construction crews have completed massive concrete track slab pours across the newly raised London Circuit and Commonwealth Avenue intersection. The complex engineering works eliminated the historic 1960s cloverleaf overpass, creating a pedestrian-friendly, signalised boulevard that seamlessly integrates light rail tracks into Canberra’s iconic Walter Burley Griffin urban design.

Pioneering Catenary-Free Battery Propulsion and Green Trackways

A standout innovation of Stage 2A is the introduction of wire-free, battery-electric operations. To preserve the sweeping, uninterrupted heritage vistas of Commonwealth Avenue and the Parliamentary Zone, the extension operates entirely without overhead electrical catenary wires or supporting steel poles.

The existing fleet of CAF Urbos light rail vehicles is being retrofitted and expanded with roof-mounted Onboard Energy Storage Systems (OESS) featuring lithium-ion traction batteries. The trams draw power from overhead wires through the northern corridor, recharge dynamically, and then lower their pantographs at Edinburgh Avenue to glide silently on stored battery power through London Circuit West to Commonwealth Park.

In addition, large sections of the corridor feature 'green track' technology, embedding rail lines within manicured turf and drought-tolerant native groundcover. This natural green carpeting softens the urban landscape, reduces ambient summer surface temperatures, absorbs rainwater runoff, and dampens wheel-rail acoustic vibrations.

Three Fully Accessible Stations Linking Culture and Parkland

Stage 2A delivers three brand-new, architecturally bespoke light rail stops: Edinburgh Avenue, City South, and Commonwealth Park. Each station features step-free level boarding, tactile paving, weather-sheltered canopies, intuitive MyWay+ contactless digital ticketing readers, and high-visibility digital passenger displays.

The southern terminus at Commonwealth Park will provide direct mass transit access to major national cultural institutions, including Lake Burley Griffin, the National Museum of Australia, the National Gallery, and landmark events such as Floriade, which draws hundreds of thousands of domestic and international visitors each spring.

Paving the Way for Stage 2B to Woden and Climate Neutrality

ACT Transport Ministers highlighted that Stage 2A represents the vital first phase in connecting Canberra’s northern and southern town centres. Environmental assessments and design contracts are already progressing for Stage 2B, which will extend the line a further 9 kilometres across Lake Burley Griffin via a dedicated bridge to the Woden Valley interchange.

Powered by 100 percent renewable electricity, Canberra Light Rail has recorded over 20 million passenger journeys since its debut, significantly reducing automobile dependence on Northbourne Avenue. By delivering high-frequency, zero-emission mass transit into the heart of the national capital, Stage 2A anchors the ACT's statutory target of net-zero emissions by 2045.