[Greens-Media] Tas Greens_Rail Tenders Failure_T Morris MP

[greens at parliament.tas.gov.au]

RAIL UPGRADE STALLS AS TENDERS NOT YET LET

Infrastructure Upgrade Well Behind Schedule
 
Tim Morris MP
Greens Shadow Infrastructure Spokesperson

Friday, 29 August 2008
Contact: State Parliamentary Offices of the Tasmanian Greens, (03) 6233
8300

www.tas.greens.org.au


The Tasmanian Greens today revealed that the main government-responsible
rail upgrade contract, that when completed will substantially upgrade
the railway line, has not yet been let despite having closed on 16 May
2008, and even though the contract documentation states the estimated
starting date of the contract was to be 1 July 2008. Four other related
contracts that closed in July have also not yet been let.

Greens Shadow Infrastructure spokesperson Tim Morris MP said that the
Labor Government seems incapable of understanding the considerable
urgency in getting the rail upgrade completed, that taking
three-and-a-half months to let a contract is totally unacceptable, and
that the Minister has some explaining to do regarding this appalling
performance from his Department.

Because of the Government's failure to get its tenders let within a
reasonable time they are now failing to meet the commitments they signed
up to in the Rail Rescue Package, meaning that Pacific National is
unable to run trains efficiently without causing derailments," Mr Morris
said.

Mr Morris detailed the tenders that have not yet been let, which are:

- Installing 140,000 sleepers and 20 kilometres of rail - closed 16 May,
estimated start 1 July; 

- Supply of 60,000-100,000 tonnes of ballast - closed 2 July, estimated
start 7 July; 

- Supply 3000 concrete sleepers - closed 9 July, estimated start date 31
July; 

- Replacement of the Mountford bridge decking - closed 9 July, estimated
start 31 August; and, 

- Refurbishment of level crossings - closed 30 July, estimated start 1
September.

"None of the five tenders are now capable of starting on time which is a
massive performance failure from this Labor Government - they must
accept substantial blame, if not all of it, for the parlous state of
rail in Tasmania," said Mr Morris.

"How can the Labor Government blame all the rail problems on Pacific
National Tasmania when their own performance is so woeful and goes
nowhere near the commitment that they gave to invest under the Capital
Investment Program, which was part of the Rail Maintenance and
Management Deed?" 

"It is time for the Minister for Infrastructure Graeme Sturges to fully
explain to the Tasmanian community just who within his Government is
responsible for this failure to meet the commitments spelt out in the
Rail Maintenance and Management Deed, in particular why it has so far
taken three-and-a-half months to let a critical tender that was actually
supposed to commence two months ago," Mr Morris said.



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