AUSTRALIA’s Capital Territory government has backed a proposed 7 km tramway connecting the War Memorial and the National Museum via the Canberra Centre. ACT will make available land set aside for light rail when the city was first laid out, mainly along grassed median strips.
The federal government has been asked to provide a grant to fund the infrastructure of the A$15m Federation line. Serving 14 stops, the line would open in 2003; a fleet of seven heritage trams would be used to operate what ACT Chief Minister Gary Humphries described as ’a highly visible visitor-oriented showpiece.’ With patronage forecast at 900000 passengers per year, the line is expected to make an operating profit. Feasibility studies have identified a net gain to the local economy of A$22m/year.
