The ACT government has spent close to $1 million in 18 months developing its Capital Metro light rail project, the ACT Legislative Assembly has been told.
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The government will set up a Capital Metro agency to run the project, with the agency to be funded in the budget in June.
Environment and Sustainable Development Minister Simon Corbell, responding to questions from the Canberra Liberals, said the government had spent $913,000 on light rail planning in 2011-12 and $76,000 in 2012-13.
Opposition urban services spokesman Alistair Coe said the government did not have "much to show" for the $989,000 it had spent and Canberrans were sceptical as to whether the promised link would ever become a reality.
But Mr Corbell accused Mr Coe of failing to understand the amount of investigation required before construction of any tracks started.
Construction of the Capital Metro light rail network, beginning with a 13-kilometre stretch from Civic to Gungahlin, is part of the agreement ACT Labor reached with the ACT Greens to form minority government in October.
In December, the government commissioned more research into the much-studied project, this timeto see how the line would integrate with existing public transport options.
Mr Coe said on Tuesday the studies to date had been "generic" and Canberrans were waiting for something more tangible.
"We've got no engineering advice yet, the government's not saying much about the financials, how it's actually going to be costed," he said.
"They keep taking about public-private partnerships. It's all very well to talk about that, but for $989,000 you'd think we'd have something a bit more tangible."
Mr Coe called on the government to provide more evidence of how it had spent close to $1 million of taxpayer funds.
The Canberra Liberals MLA also demanded a new estimate of what the finished project would cost.
Mr Corbell criticised Mr Coe for "silly and juvenile comments from a man who clearly doesn't recognise how major projects are produced".
"This will be the largest project ever undertaken by the government," he said. "It requires a significant level of investigation and analysis before physical work commences."
Mr Corbell said much of the $989,000 covered the salaries of ACT government staff who were working on the project.
The minister said the government had also begun recruitment for a project director to chair the Capital Metro agency it would establish in July.
Mr Corbell said the government's model for the project was similar to the GoldLinQ light rail development on the Gold Coast.
"We will have a dedicated government board made up of public and private appointments who will have oversight of the project," he said.
