Sydney’s inner west light rail will be suspended for up to 18 months after cracks were discovered on the trams.

Sydney’s inner west light rail will be suspended for up to 18 months after cracks were discovered on the trams.Credit:Steven Siewert

Despite the warranty expiring,a spokesman for Transport Minister Rob Stokes said it was still his “expectation there will be no cost to the taxpayer for the repairs to the light rail fleet”.

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“Transport for NSW continues to work through its contractual arrangement,” the spokesman said.

The government is yet to determine who will pay for the repairs,but a senior government source not authorised to comment publicly said initial legal advice showed “the state’s position is protected under the contract”.

The service is operated by private company Transdev,while the ongoing maintenance contract is with the ALTRAC consortium,of which Transdev is a part.

A timeline has not yet been set for when the trams will return to service,however,Mr Stokes has said he was confident it would be sooner than the 18 months first anticipated.

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CAF engineers were previously in Sydney for warranty repairs but left in late 2019. They were recently dispatched to Sydney to find a solution,though it is expected repairs will occur locally.

Mr Stokes last week said he expected repairs would be conducted “in Australia by Australians”,with plans to use sites in Lilyfield and Pyrmont.

A Transport for NSW spokesman said the department,ALTRAC,Transdev and CAF were responsible for repairs.

The cracking fault has occurred in trams from the same fleet around the world,including in the UK,where Transport for NSW staff recently travelled to,to inspect repairs.

Two Transport for NSW staff members are in Birmingham inspecting the tram repair production set up and facilities. They will apply “the knowledge,insight,and lessons learnt to inform the establishment of the Sydney repair facility,” the spokesman said.

NSW Labor leader Chris Minns said the impact of the light rail shut down was also being felt by small business owners who had lost foot traffic,by up to 40 per cent in areas like Dulwich Hill.

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“The Transport Minister has repeatedly assured us the taxpayer would not be liable for the cost of repairs. Now we find out the light rail is out of warranty. The government must guarantee that taxpayers will not be left paying the bill,” he said.

“It’s been weeks of uncertainty,with businesses and residents facing years of disruption. We need a solution now,not more government time-wasting and hand wringing.”

Opposition transport spokeswoman Jo Haylen said the government could not hide behind the operator or the workforce.

“They bought these cracked overseas-built trams which brought about the Inner West light rail fail.“

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