On Saturday 19th August we held a depot tour of Canberra Metro Operations or CMET – The operator of Canberra’s Light Rail System. To shuttle participants to and from the event we chartered a Transport Canberra Yutong E12 Electric Bus 808.
Members got to see various parts of the depot including the stabling yard, which is currently being expanded for stage 2A, as well as ride a Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) through the wash plant! They also got the chance to sit in the driver’s seat and ring the bell and learn a bit more about the driver’s day.
Following this we held our Annual General Meeting (AGM) which saw a few changes in the committee positions with Brock Ginman standing down from his position of treasurer, now being filled by Mathew Barber who has vacated the Vice President role which has now been passed on to first time committee member Damian Haas, a former chair of PTCBR. With John Tokaji being voted in as the secretary following a withdrawal of the nomination of Hugh Burns. Todd Milton will be standing up as the Members’ Representative.
Following the AGM it was back to the tour, including the maintenance hall and the Operations Control Centre (OCC). Members got to see first-hand the features of the OCC and a received a talk from current staff on some of the day-to-day goings on that the public may be unaware of. A stroke of luck saw the tour occurring on the same day as annual depot overhead wire maintenance giving members the rare chance to see all the LRV’s parked up very close together in the depot!
Following the tour of the depot, we took the scenic way back to the City drop off point in the Yutong Electric bus, stopping for photos at the Arboreturm.
A special thanks to CMET and their staff and General Manager for allowing the tour to go ahead as well as Transport Canberra for providing the Yutong which are currently not even used on weekends!
Previous Information/Notice of event posted prior to tour:
Join us on Saturday August 19th at 10:30am for a members only CMET Light Rail Depot Tour. This will be followed by our belated 2022 CTM AGM and our 2023 AGM.
Tickets are available from the link below. Please note this will be a FREE event for CTM Financial Members only. If you wish to join the CTM, please head over to our membership page, the cost is $20 per year. Only current members will be permitted entry on the day so please ensure you are a member, if you are unsure please get in touch with us. If you sign up for a ticket and you are not a member we may get in touch to finalise your membership prior. You may also join as a member on the day.
The event will include the opportunity to sit in the drivers seat and have your photo taken and ring the bell, we will also hopefully take the LRV through the “Tram Wash” if it is operational on the day and not undergoing maintenance, a tour of the OCC and an overview of the maintenance hall. Following this we will have a light morning tea/lunch followed by the belated 2022 AGM and 2023 AGM back-to-back.
Details for the day have now been finalised. We will pickup at the City West Coach Stop in West Row at 10am in a TC Yutong Electric bus and will travel to the CMET Depot in Mitchell. Please ensure you are here by 10am or the bus may leave without you. If you would like to make your own way there then please park on Sandford Street and wait near the gates of 9 Sandford St and you will be let in, please be there by 10:15am as late comers will not be able to get in.
The Depot Tour and AGM’s will run from 10:30am – 1:30pm at the depot located in Mitchell, ACT. Following this we will run a brief tour in the Yutong to the arboretum for some photos before returning to the city for drop off. If there are any changes to the itinerary we will post here and on our social media pages.
We also ask that on the day you wear full length pants and enclosed shoes (no sandals or thongs), t-shirts are acceptable and don’t have to be long sleeve. You will be provided a vest to wear on the day which must be returned at the end of the tour. Parking is available. If you have any further questions please let us know.
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/cmet-light-rail-depot-tour-ctm-agms-tickets-665096149487
