[LINK] (Sydney) Travel card delayed yet again

[Bernard Robertson-Dunn]

<brd>
It's the day for announcing delays in government smart card projects.

This one was supposed to be ready for the Olympics - the Sydney 
Olympics. Remember them? in 2000.  So this project is running about a 
decade late. Makes the Access Card delay look like a slight hitch.
</brd>

Travel card delayed yet again
August 24, 2007
SMH
http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/travel-card-delayed-yet-again/2007/08/23/1187462441696.html

SYDNEY'S public transport smart card has been delayed further after 
poor-quality software mangled small-scale trials of the technology on 
the bus and rail network.

Already seven years overdue, the Tcard has been a continuing 
embarrassment for the State Government, which promised integrated 
ticketing in time for the Sydney Olympics.

The Perth company contracted to introduce the card, ERG Limited, told 
the sharemarket this week that the project had to be put back yet again 
"to ensure high levels of system quality".

With the Olympics come and gone, full commuter trials of the technology 
were then meant to begin in November 2004, but were delayed again until 
the middle of last year. This week ERG's chairman, Colin Henson, said 
the latest problems would postpone the technology yet again.

"This will delay the planned start of a broad-based public trial on the 
rail system until the beginning of 2008," he said. "This public trial, 
including performance evaluation and system tuning, will be conducted 
over a six-month period. The full-scale deployment of bus and rail 
equipment will then take a further 12 months to complete."

The new head of the Public Transport Ticketing Corporation, Elizabeth 
Zealand, said tests would continue until all problems were ironed out.

"Testing has been extended as a consequence of the generally 
unacceptable quality of software delivered by ERG," she said.

The introduction of integrated ticketing now faces a further delay. In 
last year's budget the project's completion date was 2008, but in this 
year's papers it was moved to 2009.

Transport experts say the Tcard is crucial to the reform of Sydney's 
ailing public transport network. Since 2002 the Government has spent 
$63.7 million on the project.

ERG has attempted minor trials on State Transit buses leaving the 
Kingsgrove depot, and on CityRail services leaving Ashfield station.

In June, 420 bus drivers boycotted the trial because they had to 
repeatedly stop driving to fix the Tcard reader when it crashed.

Despite this, ERG says a bus-only public trial will be ready next month.

But technical problems have also plagued the rail tests that have taken 
place since February. The complexity of fares across buses, trains and 
ferries has been a major stumbling block.

Ms Zealand said the full commuter trial, when it eventually takes place, 
would not attempt to tackle the 70-odd fare products which are currently 
offered.

"The trial will be on the basis of a simple discounted single fare, 
similar to Travel Ten fares," she said.

The delay will also mean further debt servicing for ERG, whose financial 
performance has been in the spotlight. "With higher than expected 
financing costs due to delays in receipt of some milestone payments, the 
company now expects to report a net loss after tax of approximately $15 
million [for the financial year]," Mr Henson said.

The Opposition transport spokesperson, Gladys Berejiklian, said the 
Tcard was an essential piece of Sydney's transport puzzle.

"The lack of integration is causing huge problems in relation to 
patronage and efficiency," she said.

"Ask a rail commuter how long they have to wait to buy a ticket on a 
Monday morning."


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Regards
brd

Bernard Robertson-Dunn
Sydney Australia
brd at iimetro.com.au