Canberra's light rail has travelled the equivalent distance of more than 11 trips to the moon in the half a decade since it began operations.
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The system will on Saturday mark five years since it first carried passengers on the route between Gungahlin and the city, with more than 4.5 million kilometres travelled.
Twenty per cent of all ACT public transport patronage is now carried by light rail services, which run on time 99.98 per cent of the time.
About 16.5 million passenger trips have been made on the service.
An ACT government spokesperson said Canberrans have now experienced a mass-transit system, the benefits of which were clear.
"Our first mass-transit system, through the delivery of stage 1 of light rail, represented a vision for Canberra as a connected and vibrant city," the spokesperson said.
"The ACT Government is committed to delivering a modern integrated transport network, that is a north-south light rail spine, supported by an electric bus fleet."
Debate on light rail's future is, however, set to continue. The Canberra Liberals have said they would halt works on stage 2B, between Commonwealth Park and Woden, if they form government after the October 19 election.
Labor and the Greens have both committed to continuing the project, which is not expected to carry passengers to Commonwealth Park until 2027, or Woden until 2033.
Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
