Sunbury Electrification Project - slipping

It would appear the new Victorian Minister of Transport is a recycler. We have to remember that this project was initiated by the Victorian ALP back in 2006/2007 commenced with the first sod of turf being turned by then Minister for Transport Martin Paluka as per the media release. The Sunbury Electrification project will electrify the rail line from Watergardens to Sunbury. "This will improve train capacity and reliability in the Sydneham-Sunbury corridor, which is vital to the ongoing viability of Melbourne's broader train network."

Now from the Ministers (Mulder but not of the X-files fame) own media release spinning it as a Coalition initiative like it was all started yesterday under the guise of the regional rail links project. Specifically though The $270 million Sunbury Electrification Project will electrify the rail line from Watergardens to Sunbury and change the way trains on the Sydenham-Sunbury line currently operate. It will allow this line to carry more passengers and run more reliably, which is vital to the ongoing viability of Melbourne's broader train network. Pretty much word for word - the last sentence exactly word for word. No imagination and no initiative. Furthermore "Mr Mulder said that coordinating these works during the July school holidays aimed to reduce future disruption for rail passengers and the community." Ummm I'm not sure about anyone else but funnily enough the rest of us prols do not join Mulder in the Maldives for a winter holiday and actually need to go to work.

One thing the Minister though is not recycling is slippages to completion dates due to the "reviews" by the new government and changes they have implemented, including cost blowouts, ($800million blow propaganda and spin). This morning I was informed that the project will not be completed until mid 2012 at best. The inference being late 2012. We have to ask what has happened? Normal project delays are to be expected and extensions of time processes would have been considered - standard PPP. What has happened the regional rail link start was originally stated as commencing in late 2011 (see FAQs). It should be noted the series of events is the award of the works (as released Sept 2010)is by the Coalition Government, the Brumby Govt costings with contingencies were based on the public consultations and known factors of the time prior to the election of Nov 2011. The RRL go to market with packages, the Victorian Govt coalition rechannel funding previously allocated to say projects like Brighton hey presto "budget blowout" elsewhere

If you reschedule a major project to an earlieer date means there will be consequences namely cost, reprofile and revise the scope means impacts to the cost and time also. The Coalition government have been loudly postulating on the need to cut the project back, funding black holes etc miraculously now the project is $5.2 billion and will take two years longer (meaning longer period of labour costs, project fees) and it appears to have started earlier. However, if the Baillieu Government are going to take ownership of the initiative then they need to take ownership of the impacts to the affected communities and increased costs as a consequence their decisions. We are being subjected to a shocking piece of spin and flim flammery to blame the previous state government as well as federal government. The transparency of this government whom campaigned on that very matter is appalling.

If they can not trusted to implement a timetable or to simply be truthful how can we trust them with major transport infrastructure projects?