Mitsubishi Helps Develop Light Rail System for the City of Canberra
Picture: Mark Dries
Here in the United States, Mitsubishi is most famous for its lineup of cars and crossovers. But Mitsubishi also works on a wide assortment of other transportation systems across the globe. Most recently, the automaker helped develop a light rail system for the city of Canberra, Australia.
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Mitsubishi was part of an eight-company international consortium, dubbed Canberra Metro, that worked on the rail system. The Australian Capital Territory government selected the Canberra Metro consortium for a public-private partnership back in 2016.
Construction officially began on the project in July 2016. It was originally supposed to be completed in December 2018, but its completion date had to be pushed back due to construction delays.
“This is the largest public transport infrastructure project ever undertaken by the ACT government and it’s been an important project for our city,” stated ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr.
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The rail network runs for 12 kilometers (7.46 miles) and consists of 13 stops in the city’s northern region. Trains are set to arrive and depart every six minutes during peak traffic periods, with trains reaching a top speed of 70 kph (43.5 mph).
During the opening ceremony, 300 Canberra locals made a preview trip. The rail system officially opened the following weekend, with free travel offered during this time.
Canberra has something of a car-based culture, so it will be interesting to see how the public reacts to a sophisticated rail system. The Australian government hopes that the new rail system will just be the first of many projects to expand public transportation in the country’s capital.
News Source: The Japan Times
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