On paper, we know Light Rail Stage 2A carves a path from Alinga Street to Commonwealth Park, connecting the city to the lake. On the ground, however, it’s harder to visualise.

So, imagine it’s Spring. Through the windows of your Light Rail carriage, you watch the traffic blur past as you glide through the city and come to a stop. You join the crowd on an easy stroll to the gates of Commonwealth Park, where Floriade opens up in vibrant colour.

Powered by renewables, highly accessible, and with services leaving every five to 15 minutes, easy access like this to major events will be a hallmark of the newest stretch of Canberra’s Light Rail Network.

“It’s fair to say with the scale of transformation happening at the moment — and we’re around the peak of construction right now — it’s probably a bit hard to imagine the end result,” Light Rail Project Director Marcus Sainsbury says.

“But this year we will see parts of the public space being handed back, and that’ll be the first taste of what is to come.”

One highly anticipated feature of this stage in the plan is integration with the new Acton Waterfront neighbourhood.

A pedestrian crossing from the Light Rail’s Commonwealth Park platform will take commuters to Commonwealth Park on one side, and Acton Waterfront on the other, right at the edge of a new development that the City Renewal Authority has intentionally kicked off with a public park.

‘Ngamawari’ — a Ngunnawal word meaning ‘cave place’, gifted to the project by community representatives — recognises the limestone caves that were flooded during the creation of Lake Burley Griffin.

“Often these recreational spaces are built later in a project, but we wanted to do it the other way around, to set the scene for what the future holds for the neighbourhood that will be built behind it, and provide an instant community benefit,” City Renewal Authority Executive Group Manager, Urbanisation and Renewal, Lucy Wilson says.

Artist’s impression of Ngamawari’s adventure playground. Image: City Renewal Authority.

Construction is underway, with a focus on native planting, local natural materials, an epic adventure playground, public toilets, picnic spots and vantage points to breathtaking views across the lake to the Brindabellas.

“I can picture on a warm, blue-skies day, hopping on the Light Rail from Dickson, stopping at Commonwealth Park and crossing over Commonwealth Avenue to stand at the top of Albert Street, and about 50 metres ahead will be the new arrival pavilion, a circular one-storey building where I’ll grab that iced coffee I’ve been thinking about all morning,” Lucy says.

“Then I’ll take myself on an adventure in the new park, which follows the entire length of the boardwalk, with expansive views the whole way.

“The Ngunnawal representatives we consulted were very keen on ensuring there were spaces to meander, and so we have designed places to explore that will invoke interest and aim to surprise and delight.”

But on Light Rail, it’s hoped the adage applies: it’s not just the destination but the journey that counts.

Heading south, passengers glide through ‘Northbourne Place’, earmarked as an urban design treatment between the historic Sydney and Melbourne buildings.

Other features of Stage 2A include green track, verdant tree fringes, and the network’s first wire-free section.

“It will be quite a journey,” Marcus says.

The route continues down London Circuit, passing the Melbourne building once again, making its way around City West until it reaches what is projected to be the second busiest stop after Alinga Street — Edinburgh Avenue.

Like all Light Rail features, this generous 45-metre platform was designed to cater for projected future patronage.

“You can get off there and head further west towards New Acton, the ANU or to the burgeoning courts precinct and the One City Hill precinct,” Marcus says.

“That area is expected to become a vibrant mixed-use space in the near future.”

After leaving Edinburgh Avenue, Light Rail will continue along London Circuit before turning onto Commonwealth Avenue and arriving at the City South stop, with access to new and soon-to-be-completed residences and commercial spaces south-west of City Hill.

It will then travel along the grass track, under the canopy of advanced tree plantings and arrive at the Commonwealth Park stop, the starting point for future expansion of the Light Rail Network.

Stage 1 of Light Rail has already exceeded passenger projections, which Marcus attributes in part to its reliability, “turn-up-and-go” frequency and the ability to scale services for peak demand and, where needed, major events.

“We saw that with Spilt Milk at EPIC,” he says. “Over 7000 people travelled by Light Rail after that event last December.”

From the Commonwealth Park stop, Stage 2B is proposed to take passengers over Lake Burley Griffin via a new bridge built between the two existing bridges.

Once on the south side of the lake, the Light Rail would stop near Albert Hall before continuing along the east side of State Circle.

The Masterplan for the Avenue slots the design into a broader integrated transport network, connecting pedestrians, cyclists and bus passengers seamlessly.

“You’ll hear terms like step-free and universal access, but for us, these aren’t add-ons; they’re built into the design from the start,” Marcus says.

“I think when it’s complete, people will really see the benefits.”

For more information, visit Built for CBR.

In partnership with ACT Government.

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