Canberra light rail misses milestone targets by months, but ACT Government confident of 2018 finish
Updated
The consortium building Canberra's billion-dollar light-rail project has failed to meet all but one of its delivery targets this year.
The ACT Government has been forced to push back completion dates in five areas, including the laying of track and construction of the stops at each end of the line.
"Dynamic testing", which was supposed to begin in February, only started this month.
Four indicators set for completion by the end of the financial year remain unfinished, including the construction of a maintenance and control centre.
That building was slated for completion in March, but its revised target date has blown out five months, to August.
The only target the consortium was able to meet was the arrival of the first light-rail vehicle, which was constructed by Spanish firm CAF and shipped over in December last year.
Despite the delays, Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris said the project was still on track to begin operation this year.
"There are always changes to key milestones when undertaking significant infrastructure projects on the scale of the light rail network," she said.
"However, the Government has been assured by Canberra Metro that the most important date — the completion date, is still planned for the end of 2018 — as reflected in the budget papers.
"The change in revised target dates has no implications on the operation of the contract between the ACT Government and Canberra Metro."
Topics: transport, rail-transport, local-government, canberra-2600, act
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