That $6bn TenderBook..., page-219

The words in one of your posts today, “Following construction, the Joint Venture will maintain the rail infrastructure including the tracks, overhead lines and the tunnel, for 10 years beyond project completion.” are interesting. Rail-maintenance contracts are a significant part of Downer EDI's (DOW) business, and it is a line of business that NWH could easily include within its pale of competence. A recently-announced RIO contract award to DOW can be seen at https://www.downergroup.com/downer-wins-new-contract-with-rio-tinto. NWH probably would best be advised to seek such work with a JV partner that is into working on rolling stock, Engenco (EGN), for instance. This would allow NWH to handle the rail infrastructure work, and EGN to maintain the vehicles that run on the rails.

On the link that you provided at https://thewest.com.au/business/inf...field-airport-rail-link-tunnel-ng-b881048508z, to refer to the project as “trouble-plagued” is journalistic licence. Geotechnical analysis informed all the tunnel-involved parties to expect ground-water-related setbacks, because Perth is built on permeable sand dunes, which soak up water like a sponge. These expected setbacks would normally be factored into expected project-completion dates, contract provisions, and costs. The Salini-NRW JV is unlikely to have entered into a contract that did not cater for these setbacks in respect to both completion time and costs.

Further on journalistic licence, consider the words “With Transport Minister Rita Saffioti under pressure to reveal the extent to which the link’s 2020 deadline will be delayed, the airport’s misgivings are the latest sign of stress on a project that is the first stage of Labor’s flagship Metronet policy.” The decision to build the $1.8 billion project earmarked for completion by 2020 was taken by the former Liberal-National government – if it fitted within Labor's Metronet policy, that was coincidental. The Liberal's mooted completion date was based on its propaganda merit, not on targets expected by those involved in making it happen. The project is probably progressing reasonably within the time-frame of JV's original critical path schedule.