The Queensland Government says the true cost of Cross River Rail is expected to go well over budget and may not be complete until 2029.
The project was originally expected to be delivered at a cost of $5.4 billion and with a completion date of 2024.
On construction completion, the tunnel must be independently certified by the National Rail Safety Regulator and this testing and commissioning phase takes at least two years to complete.
The Queensland Government said industrial action under Labor’s Best Practice Industry Conditions lead to lost workdays causing significant delays.
Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister, Brent Mickelberg, said the Crisafulli Government made a commitment to be open and transparent with Queenslanders and that’s exactly what they’re doing.
“We will continue to negotiate with Cross River Rail contractors to ensure that we get the best possible outcome for taxpayers,” Mr Mickelberg said.
“We said before the election that State contracts will be honoured, and we expect contractors to honour their contracts as well.”
