Taxpayers continuing to pay price for poor planning on Union Station renewal
Will “New Trains won’t fit” news = more overruns for project already 25% over initial estimates?
QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario PC Transportation Critic Michael Harris says revelations that new electric trains won’t fit into the Union Station train shed, which the Liberals are already spending $270 million to renovate, is only the latest example of the growing price we’re paying for poor Liberal planning and other ‘stretch promises’.
“How can you put together a plan for a quarter billion dollar train shed renovation and neglect to ensure that the trains fit into the station?!” questioned Harris.
“This is classic Liberal planning: ‘stretch promising’ on project goals, costs and timelines. It’s already 25 per cent over initial estimates,” continued Harris. “As usual this government announces first and asks questions later – steam-rolling ahead with their transit electrification photo-ops without concern for cost overruns or logistical challenges.”
Harris noted that the Wynne Liberals and Metrolinx have had numerous warning signs as the Union Station revitalization project grows costlier and timelines grow longer.
“As far back as 2012, the Auditor was warning of significant price changes due to poor planning, and weak monitoring,” Harris noted. “Today, we learn that despite a subsequent Metrolinx commitment to adequate site investigations…during design to reduce the number of unanticipated site conditions, someone forgot to investigate the space requirements for electric trains!”
Harris added that when he questioned Metrolinx about further cost overruns during committee deliberations on the Auditor’s follow-up report he was told that they seek a firm ceiling price on contracts and try to identify appropriate contingencies so that we can manage the risks within the agreed-upon and tendered amount.
“To be clear, taxpayers shouldn’t be footing more bills to pay for this government’s inability to plan for obvious train space requirements,” Harris charged. “We’ll be watching carefully to hold this government and its agencies to their cost commitments.”
Read MPP Harris Public Accounts Committee questions to Metrolinx CEO Bruce McCuaig here: http://bit.ly/20bqwYK