Sydney light rail sends hospitality businesses to the wall
Sydney's ongoing $2.1 billion light rail project is continuing to wreak financial devastation for many local small business owners, with no end in sight for the disruption.
The project, linking the city's CBD with several south-eastern suburbs, has suffered extensive delays with a planned completion date of March next year pushed back by 12 months.
A state parliamentary inquiry launched on Wednesday has shone a light on the financial, emotional and physical toll shouldered by many business owners.
Amelia Birch closed her Book Kitchen cafe in Surry Hills last year after eight years. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, she said 100 business owners were allegedly told to “go to Bali for six months during construction” by CBD Light Rail project director Jeff Goodling.
“I think all of our jaws dropped at that point firstly due to the severe oversight of what a stupid comment like that means to a group of business owners,” Birch said.
Another Surry Hills cafe owner told the inquiry how he was “on the brink of financial ruin”. Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Emanuel Tzirtzilakis said he is “borderline checking into a psychiatric facility... (because) it is so depressing. I am on every medication there is”.
Spanish company Acciona is battling the NSW government in the courts, claiming the government misled the company on the complexity of the utilities work involved.
Acciona Infrastructure Australia managing director Bede Noonan is scheduled to appear before the legislative council inquiry into the impact of the light rail today.
Sheridan Randall, 4th October 2018
