The long-awaited light-rail link between Civic and Woden has hit a new roadblock after a senior federal official conceded that heritage values may block the existing proposals.
Six years after Canberrans were first consulted about possible routes, planners still lack an option that satisfies both the ACT government and the National Capital Authority (NCA), which controls the parliamentary area that light rail must travel through.
At this point it’d almost be worthwhile just putting the plans for Woden on hold and running a line to Belconnen instead. Simply moving on in the face of obstruction would seem an obvious move if it weren’t for being politically unacceptable to the south side.
The problem that the government faces is that the link to Woden was largely done as a way to mollify southsiders critical of the plan. If they about-faced and extended to Belco first, there’d probably be riots.
Yes, to avoid election losing level drama the ACT gov would really need to convince the majority of south siders that the NCA was being unreasonable and would not have allowed a Woden line. I suspect that would be a particularly hard task considering how many people already have issues with either the lack or light rail to the south or the existence of light rail at all.
As a Wanniassa resident, I’m preparing my torches and pitchforks, just in case
