Sydney light rail bill passes $3 billion as NSW Government settles legal dispute

The NSW State Government has settled a year-long legal dispute with construction company Acciona over Sydney's light rail project, agreeing to a $576 million compensation payout. Key points: With today's compensation payout, the total bill for the light rail project will be more than $3 billion The payout is part of a long-running dispute with Acciona over the complexity of the project The first part of the project will be finished in December, with the second part finished in March The final payout, confirmed by the State Government on Monday morning, will take the trouble-plagued project's total cost to more than $3 billion — almost double the original price tag predicted by then-transport minister Gladys Berejiklian in 2012. It was initially chasing $1.2 billion over issues relating to the cost of digging up and replacing Ausgrid powerlines for the project, which has turned Sydney's George Street — and parts of Sydney's eastern suburbs — into a construction site. The 12km light rail project runs from Circular Quay to Randwick and has caused mass disruption to businesses and foot traffic in some of Sydney's busiest areas, triggering an inquiry last year.