Dan’s Suburban Rail Loop strangles Victorian Budget

To nobody’s surprise, the cost of building Melbourne’s suburban rail loop has doubled to $125 billion, with another $75 billion projected for operating expenses. That’s according to the Victorian Parliamentary Budget Office:

According to the state parliament’s budget office, which published a report overnight, the north and east sections of the rail loop could blow out to more than $125 billion before its completion in 2085.

Initial projections when the project was announced by the state government in 2018 said it would cost $50 billion to build the loop running from Cheltenham to Werribee.