ICE DERAILS CANBERRALIGHT RAIL: ‘WHO’D HAVE THUNK IT?’

Leanne Castley MLA

Leader of the ACT Liberals

Media Release

11 June 2025

The confirmation this morning that ice on the light rail power lines was the cause of the major disruption to services should force a full explanation from the Minister for Transport to explain exactly what went wrong.

Many commuters from northern Canberra suburbs were seriously disrupted this morning with little or no notification of the cancellation and delay to services.

In the past, Transport Canberra have boasted on social media that ‘The cold never bothered me anyway’ and this morning’s disruption deserved answers.

After all, it’s no surprise that Canberra had cold winters where ice and heavy frost were present.

Shadow Minister for Transport Leanne Castley MLA said it was disappointing that north Canberra residents who use light rail were the last to be notified about the disruptions, but even more perplexing is the fact that the services were disrupted by ice.

“It’s no surprise to anyone Canberra gets cold in the middle of winter, it’s part of the charm about our city but why did services get disrupted today? I am sure Transport Canberra is aware of this but I think residents need an explanation,” Ms Castley said.

“Was there a failure in the system, did something break or was not repaired?  I think Canberrans deserve answers from the Minister.

“After all, why should we trust Minister Steel when he has been responsible for some of the biggest bungles in ACT history.”

• Minister Steel was responsible for the $77million payroll project fiasco, that delivered nothing,

• Minister Steel is responsible for the botched roll-out of MyWay+, with sensitive data leaked, problems with route planning and now resulting in a shortfall of revenue to the tune of at least $4 million, and

• Minister Steel as Treasurer, will now be responsible for delivering the highest net debt in ACT history, along with the worst deficit in ACT history at the upcoming ACT Budget.

“Canberra deserves better from a Labor Government that has been in power for over twenty years. They just don’t care anymore,” Ms Castley said.