Regional rail upgrades, road projects and public housing builds are among a string of Victorian projects that have been hit by delays, as the construction sector continues to struggle with increasing costs and labour shortages.
Although final timelines for some projects are not made public, an audit by the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office confirms multiple projects have been reported by state departments as behind schedule.
This was done using a traffic light system under which red projects are forecast to be more than six months delayed and amber denotes a four- to six-month delay.
The audit shows a long-awaited upgrade of the Gippsland train line, first forecast to be completed by 2022 and then by June 2024, is now forecast to be finished later this year.
The total cost of upgrading the line has swelled from $531 million to $878 million.
A third stage of upgrades on the Shepparton train line, which would allow twice the number of daily services, was meant to be finished by the end of the last financial year but is still under way. The government says the new rail signalling system needed for the project is “incredibly complex work”.
An upgrade of the Warrnambool line is also listed as “red” and has an unspecified completion date despite forecasts at one point indicating it would be finished by 2024.
However, one of its key benefits – allowing new V/Line VLocity trains to run on the line – has started and is expected to increase, along with promised additional services, once the project is fully completed.
The Age
A third stage of upgrades on the Shepparton train line, which would allow twice the number of daily services, was meant to be finished by the end of the last financial year but is still under way. The government says the new rail signalling system needed for the project is “incredibly complex work”.
What on earth are you talking about, why is there a need to spend millions on a new signalling system when one exists?