Brendan Simpkins
COMMUTERS on the Gawler line will be faced with a seven-month wait for rail services to resume, with a full closure until November announced last week.
The move means that the line will have been closed for almost a full year by the time the long-awaited electrification of the track is completed.
The line was originally planned to be closed in stages to complete the multi-million-dollar project, with a scheduled resumption of services
to take place on October 11. However, the collapse of major steel provider SA Structural earlier this year and the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have caused the closure.
Transport Minister Corey Wingard announced late on Thursday afternoon that
extra bus services were being added to cope with the demand.
The last rail service on the line will occur on Anzac Day, April 25.
From late April, two express services from Gawler to Adelaide will run during the morning peak period and three express services operating between Adelaide and Salisbury during the morning and afternoon peak periods.
Mr Wingard said the extended closure was “terrible” for commuters based in the north, but said his department was focused on “getting it done and open as quickly as possible”.
“Unfortunately, this project has been impacted by a series of external issues that have put increased pressure on the team to get it done on time,” he said.
“The line is still expected to be open by the end of the year because the project team and construction workers have done a tremendous job in face of the challenges presented by the global COVID-19 pandemic.
“Extended business and manufacturing closures across Victoria throughout 2020, along with border restrictions, have complicated the delivery, as has the recent collapse of the project’s steel supplier Structural SA.
“The department has recently engaged with alternative steel suppliers and has revised the closure schedule for the line.”
This is the second major delay to the project after its $615 million budget blew out by $100 million.
The line, which has been closed since Boxing Day, was originally scheduled to reopen in January. But that was extended until this month, with staged openings and additional closures, both full and partial, to follow.
Following the collapse of SA Structural in January, Treasurer Rob Lucas told The Bunyip he was “hopeful” that no further delays to the electrification project would occur, but he did not rule out the possibility.
Mr Wingard has attributed the cost blowout and delays to the previous Labor government’s decision to enter a contract with only 5 per cent of the design work completed.
“We inherited a very poorly planned project because Labor signed the contract with only 5 per cent design work complete, which is just ludicrous,” he said.
Despite the additional bus services, commuters will still have to pay a full price fare.
Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas called for the Government to provide the service at no cost.
“This delay to the Gawler electrification project is a blow to thousands of train commuters who now face significant inconvenience to their daily lives for months to come,” he said.
“The very least the Government can do is to provide some relief in the form of free substitute buses.
“Commuters shouldn’t have to pay the price for the Marshall Liberal Government’s mismanagement of this important project.”