Incompetent Constance bungles another billion dollar transport project

Media Release – July 27, 2017

The rank incompetence of so-called Minister for Transport Andrew Constance has once again been demonstrated in ‘Why Sydney’s new light rail trams won’t carry passengers on inner west line’ (26/07), an SMH article which revealed that the inner west and central city tram lines will not be compatible.

RTBU Bus and Tram Division Secretary Chris Preston said it was astonishing Minister Constance was building a tram line that could never be connected to the inner west line because he was too lazy to insist it be built to a compatible standard.

“You would think the very first question a Transport Minister would ask is whether the new $2.1 billion dollar tram line he’s building can connect with the existing one, but apparently that was beyond him.”

“How will Sydney develop an effective light rail system when its building incompatible tram lines that force commuters to get off and switch between the two? What an absolute waste of commuter’s time and taxpayer’s money.”

“To which set of standards will future tram lines be built? The inner west line or the central city line? Or a third set of standards that will be incompatible with both?”

Mr Preston said it was exactly this complete lack of common sense or forethought in public transport planning that the people of Sydney were sick of.

“In the original tramways, previous Governments in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia were able to standardise tram systems across all of their States.”

“Andrew Constance can’t even standardise them in one city. How stupid can you get?”

Mr Preston said this latest billion dollar bungle was just the most recent disaster in a string of light rail delays, cost blowouts and false starts.

Just a week ago it was revealed that Minster Constance scrapped a $2.7 billion dollar light rail project connecting Parramatta to the city after expensive planning work had already taken place and the central city project has blown out by a staggering $500m.

“Andrew Constance is clearly out of control and out of his depth. Its high-time Premier Berejiklian gave him a one-way ticket to the back bench.”