THE Canberra Liberals say the release of the costings and timeframe of light rail stage 2A to Commonwealth Park are understated. 

The government announced on Thursday that the cost of taking the tram three stops further from Northbourne Avenue to Commonwealth Park, 1-7 kilometres, would be $577 million.

“Adding the… contract, which includes the expansion of the depot, acquiring the light rail vehicles and the purchase of batteries and retrofitting, along with the raising of London Circuit, you end up with a figure well over $800 million,” says Liberals transport spokesman Mark Parton.

“When you then look at stage 2 to Woden in its entirety, it is highly likely that we will have a figure significantly above $4 billion.

“It is ludicrous for the Labor-Greens government to just use this contract for the final cost of stage 2A, the Minister must be upfront with Canberrans and admit that the cost of stage 2A is more than $800 million.”

Should the Canberra Liberals win government in October next year, Parton says it is a foregone conclusion that light rail will get to Commonwealth Park.

“We are not in the business of tearing up contracts and it has always been the Canberra Liberals position that it is highly likely we will end up at Commonwealth Park, but not proceed to Woden which will cost Canberra taxpayers’ well over $4 billion,” he says.

“It would be a dereliction of my duty as an MLA to sign up to the reckless amount that it would cost to get to Woden because it is astronomical and who knows which decade it will actually arrive, the delays have been extraordinary.”

Next stage of light rail to cost $577 million