The ACT Government will begin its push today to have a light rail system for the capital listed as a national infrastructure priority.
The Government hopes to convince Infrastructure Australia that a light rail line linking Gungahlin to Civic would be a ''national showcase'' of sustainable transport and town planning.
In its pitch to make the hotly contested list of national infrastructure priorities, a key factor in getting federal cash for a project, the ACT will outline an ambitious timetable that would see work begun as early as 2013.
Unusually for an ACT Government project, the territory has also indicated in its submission that it would investigate funding a light rail line through a ''public-private partnership''.
The $288million Majura Parkway made this year's Infrastructure Australia's influential list and was half-funded by the Commonwealth, with the ACT paying the rest.
If the light rail listing attempt is successful, the project would sit beside proposals such as the Very Fast Train and the Sydney to Brisbane Pacific Highway corridor.
The ACT Government put light rail for Canberra firmly back on the agenda in June when it announced it would look at a 13km route between Civic and Gungahlin.
Planners are looking at light rail as part of a transport mix along Northbourne Avenue and the Government has committed $300,000 to look at the feasibility of designated transit lanes along Northbourne Avenue and a further $2.5million to fund the project's design process.
The submission argues the proposal is in keeping with one of Infrastructure Australia's seven key themes for action and that the light rail route would help achieve several of the national capital's long-term goals.
''The project is part of a package of works to improve the public transport network across the ACT,'' the submission said.
''These improvements are aimed at increasing public transport patronage, together with changes to land-use corridors, major public transport intersections and town centres.''
According to the proposal, Northbourne Avenue is a ''nationally significant'' thoroughfare.
''The Northbourne Avenue Transport corridor is the gateway to the national capital and as such, the corridor must reflect its national significance through high quality urban design, which accords with the principals set out in the National Capital Plan,'' the proposal said.
The ACT planners said Northbourne Avenue connected 100,000 people with 100,000 jobs and had the capacity to grow by another 10,000 users every day.
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