The troubled Sydney CBD light rail project has been delayed yet again with the firm building the line to the eastern suburbs claiming it warned the NSW government about the fresh delay months ago.

Acciona Infrastructure Australia managing director Bede Noonan told a state parliamentary inquiry on Thursday the $2.1 billion project won’t be completed until May 2020.

His evidence suggested the government had known of the latest delay for two months.
”I don’t want to answer on behalf of the government but it is quite clear that we notified in August,” Mr Noonan told the inquiry.

Acciona provides updates through the project consortium ALTRAC’s monthly reports to the government.

The project was originally meant to be completed by early 2019 before it was pushed back to March 2020.

Mr Noonan put the latest delay down to Ausgrid’s “failure” to perform essential works to move overhead electricity wires in Kensington and Kingsford underground.

“That is a project we are unable to do. It has to be done by Ausgrid,” he said. Ausgrid has been contacted for comment.

Mr Noonan says Acciona was presented with new conditions about moving Ausgrid electricity pits after the contract was signed in February 2015.

The inquiry heard Acciona advised the government in March 2015 the project was at risk of not meeting the original 2019 completion date.

Acciona is locked in a court battle with the NSW government with lawyers for the Spanish group claiming the government misled the company on the complexity of the utilities works.

Other big names involved in the project – which runs from Sydney’s CBD to the eastern suburbs – will also face the inquiry on Thursday.

James Bramley – who is chairman of the ALTRAC consortium directly responsible for managing construction – is also scheduled to appear at the inquiry as are several Transport for NSW bureaucrats.