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News

City Link tolls may be delayed until 2000

By SUSHI DAS TRANSPORT REPORTER

Transurban, hamstrung by computer glitches, has no idea when tolling on City Link will start. But the road's private owner yesterday could not rule out the possibility that free tolls might continue until the end of the year.

The company has also admitted that the glitches in the central toll computer system it described only last month as ``minor programming'' issues were now regarded as serious problems.

The company also:

Conceded that deadlines for the road's opening had been too ambitious.

Revealed it was holding $10million of customers' prepaid tolls in a special account.

Could not guarantee that the Y2K bug would not affect the road's operations.

A spokesman for Transurban, Mr Andrew Manton, said while computer glitches were not affecting the core activities of the central toll computer system, they were considered serious because they were holding up the start of tolling.

He said Transurban was at the behest of its contractors, who advised the company when aspects of the road would be ready.

The western link, which was scheduled to start operating in April, was repeatedly delayed. It opened toll-free on 15 August after mounting public pressure.

The second leg of the tollway, the southern link, is scheduled to open by 12 January next year. Several months ago Transurban said it was confident that the southern link, including the tunnels, would open in August 1999 and could offset losses incurred during delays to the western link.

``It's uncertain. In real terms we don't know when tolling will commence,'' Mr Manton said.

``Our expectations about opening dates have proved to be a little bit too ambitious. All we've ever done is act on the best advice provided,'' he said.

Mr Manton said a delay in tolling until the opening of the southern link was unlikely but refused to rule out the possibility. He played down missed deadlines, saying the real deadline for the $2billion City Link project in its contract with the State Government was June 2000. The company is confident the tollway will be fully operational by then.

Transurban yesterday also revealed it was earning interest on $10million of customers' money held in a special account. Asked if the company was considering measures to compensate customers, Mr Manton said: ``They're getting free use of a toll road.''

http://www.theage.com.au/daily/990927/news/news11.html

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), September 27, 1999