The ACT government will provide the outcomes of light rail vehicle safety inspections in three weeks' time but Transport Minister Chris Steel has stressed there is no evidence of a wheelbase cracking issue on Canberra's fleet.
Mr Steel told the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday that staff from CAF, the Spanish manufacturer of Canberra's light rail fleet, had inspected the light rail vehicles and not found any indication of the cracking issue, which has been identified on the same model vehicles in other cities.
NSW transport authorities have moved to suspend services on an inner-west Sydney light rail line for up to 18 months after cracks were identified in its fleet, the same model as Canberra's fleet.
Mr Steel told question time senior staff from Canberra Metro, Canberra Metro Operations, CAF and the Transport Canberra and City Services directorate attended an inspection of light rail vehicles in Canberra on Tuesday.
"It's important to note the public private partnership agreement with Canberra Metro consortium, which is a group of companies that have designed, constructed, financed, operate and maintained our light rail system on stage one," Mr Steel said.
The consortium includes CAF, which is responsible for manufacturing and maintaining the light rail vehicles for the life of the 20-year partnership.
Mr Steel moved minor amendments to opposition transport spokesman Mark Parton's motion calling for the government to report back to the Assembly on the result of light rail vehicle safety inspections and contingency plans if light rail vehicles need to be taken out of service.
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However, Mr Steel said the Canberra Liberals had seized on the cracking issues on CAF Urbos 3 light rail vehicles because their support for light rail was thin and they did not want to see the line extended to Woden.
"In the hushed tones and wild eyes of an internet conspiracy video, Mr Parton stood beside the light rail tracks and suggested to Canberrans that there'd be cost blow outs and service cancellations galore, because of the issues identified in NSW," he said.
"Except he knew full well that there is no current evidence of any issue in the ACT in relation to our light rail system, because my office told him so."
Mr Parton said it was absurd to suggest raising potential safety issues on Canberra's light rail system was out of order.
"How ridiculous to suggest that me raising that safety issue is somehow out of order and making mischief ... If it was such a ridiculous thing for me to raise, why have we passed the motion?" he said.
