The fault that had derailed the North Tce tram extension has been fixed
THE fault that plagued the troubled North Terrace tram extension has been discovered and fixed, but Transport Minister Stephan Knoll says it is still too early to provide a new start date for services and that more problems could potentially be found.
THE fault that plagued the troubled North Tce tram extension has been discovered and fixed – but Transport Minister Stephan Knoll says it is too early to provide a new start date because more problems might be found.
After flying in a German expert from rail services company Hanning and Kahl, Transport Department staff have identified the fault that caused a signalling system between the tram and track to fail.
Mr Knoll said the fault was a result of what should have been “basic work” when construction of the King William St intersection was done in January, under the previous government’s watch.
“They lay the track down and they use tie-rods to weld the track into place and it needs to be exact to ensure the tram stays on the rails,” he said.
“What happens then is a series of signalling points are then attached to the track. In order to make sure the electric circuitry works properly once the concrete is poured, all of those tie-rods need to be disconnected so that there isn’t any stray current sending any false signals back to the traffic control centre.
“That basic work was not done properly. That was when this project went off the rails.”
The rods, which were malfunctioning in multiple areas along the 1km stretch of track, have since been properly cut and the costs will be borne by the contractors.
On Thursday night, test trams were again sent along the new strip. Driver training is set to start again next week, but Mr Knoll said there was further monitoring to be done.
He previously said the tram line would open on July 29, describing the date as “set in stone”.
The project should have been completed by late last year, under the former Labor government’s original timetable.
Mr Knoll took aim at Labor transport spokesman Tom Koutsantonis, saying the project went “off the rails” under his watch.
“We took responsibility for everything that happened after March 17 and we have tried to get this project back on track,” Mr Knoll said.
Mr Koutsantonis said the real problem was that there was still no head of the Transport Department following the sacking of Michael Deegan.
“Mr Knoll is desperate to blame someone for his problems,” he said.
The extension has cost taxpayers at least $80 million, which includes an extra $10 million from the previous Labor government in July last year to speed up the work.
Other problems have included fears commuters could be electrocuted through hand rails at tram stops, and the lack of a right-hand tram turn from King William St to North Tce.