It Looks Like Sydney's New Light Rail Will Take Even Longer to Open

It looks like we can all forget about the promised 2019 completion date for Sydney's new southeast light rail project, as the NSW Government has found itself embroiled in a legal battle with the Spanish subcontractor heading up the build. And it's already slowing down progress considerably.

As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has declined to share details about the delays, though said the state would "not be held to ransom" by builder Acciona, which is taking Transport for NSW to court for the tidy sum of $1.2 billion.

The company's demanding the extra money because it claims it was misled about the complexity of utility work involved in the project. The two are heading to the NSW Supreme Court this Friday, with Acciona proceeding with a go-slow on work in the meantime, though Transport Minister Andrew Constance told parliament "we are not going to tolerate a go-slow so that we write a cheque to hit the accelerator".

Testing on a stretch of the new 12.7-kilometre route from Circular Quay to Randwick and Kingsford began in February, with a view to have trams running on it next year. At this stage, that looks very unlikely.

Via The Sydney Morning Herald.