Voters were not told of a review of the WA Government's light rail plan in the lead up to the state election. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied
COLIN Barnett's showpiece light-rail election promise was under review in the lead-up to the March 9 poll - but the concerns of transport officials were kept secret from voters.
A document obtained by The Sunday Times reveals that on February 1 the Department of Transport launched an investigation into whether a cheaper rapid bus service was a better option than light rail between Perth and Mirrabooka.
"It is necessary to consider the option of providing an equivalent public transport service using a Bus Rapid Transit model over the currently proposed 22km light-rail route," the document says. "A BRT option was discounted previously in the early stages of the development of the Public Transport Plan for Perth, however, more investigation is now required to understand if the earlier assessment is correct."
The investigation with an evaluation phase of four to six weeks was to determine if the bus system could be built cheaper and faster and still carry the same number of passengers.
The Sunday Times has been told the evaluation is "ongoing".
But well-placed sources claim the bus system could save taxpayers up to $800 million money that could go towards putting another storey on the new children's hospital.
Opposition Leader Mark McGowan said the Barnett Government lied to voters during the election campaign by not revealing that light rail was still up in the air.
"Why wasn't the public told about these inquiries? Instead, they were told the light rail was a sure thing," he said.
"It was a significant election issue and these reviews are done at public expense (so) I think the public deserved to be told."
Mr McGowan called on the Barnett Government to immediately release the findings of the DOT investigation when it was concluded. The document was obtained by The Sunday Times under a Freedom of Information request. Initially, the application was totally denied, but on appeal the newspaper was granted access to three out of 28 relevant documents.
Transport Minister Troy Buswell said he was aware that the department was putting together a comprehensive business case for the light rail.
But he said the Government was committed to delivering light rail and BRT "is not an option".
"Light rail is more efficient than a bus rapid transport system in areas of congestion and $15.8 million has already been allocated by state and federal governments to the engineering and design studies," he said.
A DOT spokeswoman said the February investigation was commissioned as part of standard business case process.
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