ACT Government Accelerates Major Construction on Wire-Free Canberra Light Rail Stage 2A Extension to Commonwealth Park

Landmark 1.7-Kilometre Extension Expands Capital's Mass Transit Network

CANBERRA, Australian Capital Territory — In a landmark milestone for sustainable metropolitan mobility across the nation's capital, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government and delivery agency Major Projects Canberra have accelerated major civil construction and rail track installation on the transformative Canberra Light Rail Stage 2A project. Extending the existing City-to-Gungahlin light rail spine 1.7 kilometres south from the Alinga Street terminus to Commonwealth Park, the multi-million-dollar infrastructure project establishes the crucial northern approach of Canberra's long-term mass transit corridor to Woden.

Following the monumental engineering feat of raising London Circuit by six metres to create a level, pedestrian-friendly signalized intersection with Commonwealth Avenue, construction crews have mobilized heavy tracklaying operations, underground utility trenching, and stop foundations across London Circuit West and the southern civic core.

Three Brand-New Transit Stops and Sustainable Green Track Landscaping

Stage 2A delivers three architecturally distinctive passenger stops engineered to connect Canberra's commercial, cultural, and lakeside precincts:

• Edinburgh Avenue Stop: Serving the western business district, Australian National University (ANU) students, and surrounding commercial hotel sectors.
• City South Stop: Located near the intersection of London Circuit and Commonwealth Avenue, anchoring the southern threshold of the City Centre civic plaza.
• Commonwealth Park Stop: Positioned adjacent to Lake Burley Griffin and Commonwealth Park, providing rapid transit access for major national events including Floriade and lakeside recreation.
• Sustainable Green Track Integration: To harmonize the transit alignment with Canberra’s Walter Burley Griffin heritage garden-city master plan, substantial sections of track will be embedded within living "green track" turf and drought-resilient native groundcover rather than industrial ballast or concrete.

Pioneering Catenary-Free Battery Traction Preserves National Heritage Vistas

A defining technological hallmark of Canberra Light Rail Stage 2A is its complete reliance on catenary-free, wire-free battery operation across the southern alignment. To protect the unobstructed visual sightlines of the historic Parliamentary Triangle and Lake Burley Griffin, the light rail fleet of CAF Urbos 100 trams is being systematically retrofitted with advanced On-board Energy Storage Systems (OESS) featuring high-capacity lithium-ion batteries.

Upon departing the Alinga Street station, trams lower their pantographs and transition autonomously to onboard battery power, traversing London Circuit and Commonwealth Avenue entirely without overhead electrical wires or support poles. The batteries recharge rapidly through regenerative braking and overhead rapid-charge cantilevers while boarding passengers at designated stops.

Decarbonizing Capital Commutes and Shaping 21st-Century Urban Mobility

The delivery of Stage 2A will provide reliable, turn-up-and-go public transit for over 3,000 additional daily journeys during peak periods, slashing private vehicle dependency along the busy Northbourne Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue traffic corridors.

By laying the physical foundations for Stage 2B—which will carry light rail across Lake Burley Griffin via a modernized Commonwealth Avenue Bridge to the parliamentary precinct and Woden town centre—the project cements Canberra’s global standing as a pioneer in zero-emission, electrified urban public transport.