Light Rail’s Revival

By Duncan Edghill

Light rail is undergoing an exciting renaissance as old fashioned, clunky trams are metamorphosised into sleek, modern vehicles. Canberra offers a case study into how to maximise the benefits of the return to the 19th century transport standard, integrated with 21st century urban-planning principles.

Throughout Europe, the United Arab Emirates, China, the Americas and now Australia, cities are building new, technologically advanced light-rail networks as part of the solution to anticipated congestion and transport challenges of the future. Public officials and engineers responsible for building light-rail networks often extol the virtues of light rail as a public transport option, in terms of defining a city’s character, boosting economies, connecting growing and changing populations to key destinations, and reducing emissions. 

Light rail has the capacity to address many of the transport challenges associated with modern cities. However, the benefits of light rail are most effectively realised if it is designed and delivered alongside other greater city-building initiatives. Canberra is already reaping the rewards along its first line as government and private business continue to invest heavily in surrounding infrastructure, making it one of the best examples of how light rail can benefit growing cities for generations to come. 

Canberra’s light rail has been a success on a number of levels. Within six months of commencing operations, passenger patronage was at levels not expected until 2021, prompting additional services and bumping the project’s cost-benefit ratio from 1.2 to 1.3 upon its completion. More than 15,000 Canberrans use light rail every day to travel to their places of work, study and recreation, relieving congestion and allowing other public transport services, such as buses, to be redirected to areas of greater need. And it goes far beyond patronage numbers, with Canberra’s light rail quickly becoming a part of the city’s character as light-rail icons make their way into local artworks and souvenirs. 

Arguably one of the greatest benefits of light rail is its capacity to accommodate the demands of a growing city as population density increases. Light rail brings the opportunity to revitalise city precincts, stimulate residential development along rail corridors and boost local economies through increased business investment, all while containing urban sprawl.



Average house prices along the light-rail corridor between Gungahlin and the CBD grew at a faster rate than those in other ACT suburbs, and additional development in these areas will support further population growth. Key hubs along the line are also seeing increased commercial interest as the permanency of a fixed-line light rail underpins confidence in the market. 

As cities grow and densify, another significant benefit light rail can offer is an attractive and accessible transport option for commuting workers, students and tourists. Good infrastructure is designed to maximise citizens’ wellbeing, and light rail is an excellent tool for connecting people across demographics and social barriers. Canberra’s light rail also serves to illustrate this opportunity, as the line connects the city’s fastest-growing residential area to the city centre, a similarly fast-growing jobs-and-recreation hub. With attractive, comfortable, safe and easily accessible vehicles for citizens of all ages and abilities, the ACT’s light-rail system is well-placed to connect an ageing population, increasing numbers of inner-city families, and people with disabilities throughout the city for decades to come. 

Undoubtedly, climate change will dramatically affect the way our cities are planned and how people move within them – possibly even more than population or demographic changes will. Choking in smoke while idling in stand-still traffic along arterial roads is hardly a pleasant experience, yet this is what may lie in store for city residents if emissions aren’t reduced and investments made in public transit. Light rail again offers an attractive, emissions-free alternative. 

Light-rail vehicles run off not fuel but electricity, which can be generated using renewable sources, as is the case in the ACT. Meanwhile, engineering breakthroughs such as regenerative braking can further maximise energy efficiency. Instead of getting in their cars and contributing to road congestion, Canberrans can cycle or walk to a light-rail stop, expect to board within five to six minutes, and enjoy a climate-controlled journey into their place of work or study. Emissions targets are only one consideration when planning for light rail into the future. Engineering solutions for temperature control, urban heat island effect, biodiversity impacts and deteriorating soils, to name just a few challenges, are paramount in planning light-rail networks into the future, in the ACT and elsewhere. 

All of these benefits are intrinsic to light rail, but it is important to remember they have been realised in conjunction with other city-building initiatives, including revitalisation projects in these key hubs and housing development programs. 

Similarly, Norway’s light rail in Bergen was conceived not only as a transportation project but as one part of an enormous urban-development plan to connect the airport, outer-city suburbs and key development hubs. It’s been a similar story in other European cities – Bordeaux, Angers and Bern. To harness the potential of light rail to address the challenges future cities will face, governments must balance urban-design considerations alongside technical solutions, and ensure transport operations are central to informing the design of the entire network. 

The future of light rail is bright. But, as Canberra’s example shows, it is essential to understand the drivers and objectives for light rail before delivery to ensure its success. In the ACT, a clear statement of aspirations helped guide the planning and ultimate success of Stage One of light rail, and will continue to guide future extensions of the network across the city. City planners, engineers and members of parliament considering bringing light rail to their cities would do well to remember the value light rail can bring, but also how those benefits can be limited if not accompanied by a city-wide master plan or other infrastructure investments. If in doubt, perhaps they should look to Canberra. 

Duncan Edghill is the deputy director general of Transport Canberra.