Technology Slice

Metro Pushing For Funding

Metro Pushing For Funding – Just eight months after signing an $8 billion contract to run Melbourne’s trains, Metro is trying to force the Brumby government to bring forward millions of dollars in funding.

A leaked ”action plan” obtained by The Age shows the operator was last month preparing to demand more money from the government, after its ambitious tender failed to take into account millions of extra dollars needed to run Melbourne’s trains.

Public Transport Minister Martin Pakula this week denied he had received any requests for additional funding.

But the leaked minutes of a meeting of Metro’s senior management last month show the operator is struggling to cover its costs. The document suggests that to slash costs Metro will:

- Retrench staff.

- Request the government bring forward funding for train maintenance by more than a year.

- Force staff to use up leave.

They also show Metro should have been liable for a fine of $1.7 million for poor performance in February but because of the contract granted by the government last year, fines are capped at $1 million a month.

- Defer payments to train maker Siemens.

Tags: 1 Million, Brumby, Eight Months, Force Staff, Government Funding, Meeting Management, Melbourne Trains, Metro, Minister Martin, Minutes Of A Meeting, Money, Poor Performance, Public Transport, Senior Management, Siemens, Slash, Staff Request, Train Maintenance, Transport Minister
Posted in Politics