Southern Cross Station: over the past few years it seems like all they have been doing is construction work, but according to the Victorian Auditor General, the station was actually ‘completed’ on 1 August 2006. That was the day that the state government’s Southern Cross Station Authority handed over management of the station to Civic Nexus Pty Ltd, the private consortium who won a 30 year concession to operate the station.
Unfortunately for the private operator, the glue they chose to stick down the tactile paving has no hope of living out their 30 year long contract – I spotted the first pieces of paving starting to lift just five years in, during December 2011.
That didn’t seem to be the end of their troubles, as in April 2012 I found another section of paving needing repairs:
I found more in August 2012:
Another chunk last week:
And now this section!
Whatever glue the maintenance crews at Southern Cross Station are using, I wish they would tell me what it is, so I never accidentally buy it!
Further reading
Read more about the incompetent management of the Southern Cross Station public-private partnership (PPP) in this report by the Victorian Auditor General.
No problem. The taxpayer will pay.
I am not sure who the contract for the construction of the Swanston Street tram stops was let to, but I think they have made it a quality piece of workmanship.
The platform stops on Swanston Street sure look nice, which is good, given that it took them almost six months to build each one!
[…] Cross Station has a long history of failure – back in 2012 there was a plague of failing floor tiles, with escalators joining the club soon […]
[…] Meanwhile on arriving at Southern Cross Station, you needed to watch your step – the tactile paving was peeling away from the floor. […]