Canberra’s new light rail line has helped drive a 32 per cent rise in public transport usage in its area, and has amassed more than a million journeys less than three months after opening.
ACT transport minister Chris Steel said the light rail route from Gungahlin to Civic had generate a significant uptake in public transport usage along the corridor, with 32 per cent more public transport journeys starting in Gungahlin in June 2019 than in June 2018.
“Patronage growth in the inner north has also been very strong, with light rail now accounting for 20 per cent of all passengers on Transport Canberra services, and we expect this number to continue to grow as the urban renewal projects along the corridor are completed,” Steel said.
According to Transport Canberra data, weekday journeys across the city’s whole public transport network have risen 6.1 per cent year-on-year since the light rail system opened. Weekend public transport journeys have risen 32.7 per cent.
The millionth journey was recorded on July 15, with passengers surprised with a free MyWay transport card with $20 in credit for use across the network.
“Light rail is now well past its launch date and the success of the service speaks for itself,” Steel said.
“We now have record numbers of Canberrans using public transport, exceeding expectations. As time goes on with operations, the data is becoming clearer: Canberrans are choosing to use light rail and more public transport.”