Warnings that metro rail line to Sydney’s new airport is set to be delayed again

The opening of a multibillion-dollar metro rail line to Sydney’s new international airport risks being delayed until 2028 as switching on power at stations, and other work on the troubled project, runs late amid a protracted dispute between the state government and contractors.

Confidential Sydney Metro documents reveal bureaucrats in January warned of an “elevated” risk to the 23 kilometre metro line’s latest targeted completion date of late December next year, raising the prospect of it slipping into 2028, extending the delay in opening it to about 18 months.

The officials cited an “overall sharp reduction in achievement of planned [versus] actual installation activities”, as well as delays to delivery of trains and other significant equipment such as power transformers.

The rail line was originally meant to open when passenger flights start at Western Sydney Airport in October. Monthly reviews for the rail project show target dates for turning power on at stations such as St Marys, followed by those for commissioning them, have slipped.

A review in January said progress on mechanical, electrical and plumbing work at stations was “inconsistent”, and “most problematic” at St Marys and the airport terminal station. “This has resulted in delay to forecast for critical [high-voltage] room readiness,” it said.

A stabling and maintenance facility at Orchards Hills for the fleet of new driverless trains faces delays of almost two months in switching on power, which officials concede “does not provide confidence in the overall program”.

The documents confirm delays in shipping 12 trains built by German multinational Siemens from Europe to NSW. Under the latest timeframe, the first train to arrive in NSW “has been delayed” from May 12 to June 10, almost a month later than planned due to customer testing in Vienna.

“The remaining trains will arrive in three-week intervals, except for trains one and two, which arrive on 29 April 2027,” it says, noting that the latter are undergoing testing on tracks in Germany.

After a two-month sea voyage, the first train will arrive at Port Kembla this month before it is transported in early July to the Orchard Hills stabling yards.

The January review also cited a delay of three to four weeks to forecast construction work as installation of rail systems at stations nears. “Set alongside the delay in train delivery, this trend raises questions for Siemens’ scope,” it said.

Even before the warnings in January, a review in September advised that “ongoing delay” to powering the Orchard Hills stabling and maintenance facility raised the potential for “increased schedule risk to forecast date for completion”, which at the time was December next year.

It also said the delivery of the last metro train from Europe had been delayed by 21 weeks compared to what had been planned in February last year.

Coalition transport spokeswoman Natalie Ward said construction problems were compounding, pushing the project’s delivery further down the track. “The government’s inability to answer basic questions on how taxpayer money is being spent remains a cause for concern,” she said.

Transport Minister John Graham said there had been significant challenges to the project’s delivery, including delays to getting power supply on in multiple locations as the project progressed.

“We are committed to delivering this metro line as soon as possible, but not at any price to the NSW taxpayer,” he said.

“Most recently the government referred a probity investigation into a major contractor on the project to police and integrity agencies, which was the largest ever public-private partnership contract awarded by the former Liberal-National government.”

Last year the Herald revealed the dispute between the government and the consortium building the line risks blowing out the project’s cost by up to $2.2 billion due to claims for delays, scope creep and disruptions.

The government later confirmed that legal claims made by the consortium led by Italian engineering company Webuild might raise the airport rail line’s total price tag by $1 billion-plus to more than $12 billion.

Adding to the project’s woes, last month a subcontractor involved in building the line was found to be involved in serious wrongdoing. The findings of an inquiry forced Webuild, which is also constructing the troubled Snowy 2.0 hydro scheme, to sack labour hire company Future Form from the rail project.

Western Sydney Airport chief executive Simon Hickey told a Senate estimates hearing last week that he had heard that the metro rail line’s opening “might slip more than a year” but could not say whether the speculation came from a conversation or via the media.

The delayed opening has compelled the government to put on free buses between St Marys and the new airport when the latter opens to passengers in October. A bus trip will take 30 minutes, double the forecast 15-minute train trip.

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