Tick Tock Light Rail
Image: Light rail site office, George Street at midday Photo: John Moyle
By John Moyle
On Thursday 14 June legal proceedings against Transport for NSW commenced in the Supreme Court. Family owned Watches of Switzerland, located in George Street on the ground floor of the Four Seasons Hotel, are claiming that in the past 12 months their business profits have halved to $1.3 million and as Light Rail construction continues they expect these to fall even further.
Represented by barrister Don Grieve, they are suing the government for $4 million. Located at the City head of the project the company has been subjected to construction since the project began in 2016. The jewellers claim that construction has been an excessive nuisance generating noise, dust and costly disruptions to their trade.
“Transport for NSW will defend the proceedings commenced by Watches of Switzerland, and it is not appropriate for us to comment further while the matter is before the Court,” spokesperson, Transport for NSW said.
Part of the argument surrounding TfNSW adequacies in running the project may centre on the cost blow-outs.
Elsewhere in Australia and around the world the average costs for track building is around $30-40 million per kilometre whereas in Sydney this has blown out to $160 million per kilometre.
Melbourne trams run on 300mm footings whereas in Sydney these have been engineered to 900mm.
The case could also question the choice of consultant Parsons Brinckenhoff, who the Edinburgh City Council used to construct the Light Rail there, which only built half of the track promised and is still under litigation.
It is expected that there will be extensive arguments about the adequacies of the efficiencies of TfNSW.
Transport for NSW said that they expected to take 12 to 18 months.
The Light Rail has now collected an unenviable list litigants including ACCIONA Infrastructure Australia for $1.1 billion, VAC Group for $4 million and the class action being brought by cafe owner and City of Sydney councillor Angela Vithoulkas to yet determine the amount.
And then there is the case of 15-year-old schoolgirl Anna Lambden who was electrified by ‘dodgy wiring’ on her way home.
Let’s hope that there are enough silks left in Sydney to take these cases to the end of the line.
