HL Deb 30 October 2002 vol 640 c37WA
Lord Laird

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What was the original projected cost of re-laying the railway line between Belfast and Bangor; what is the actual cost now estimated to be; whether the figures are different; why; and what steps they are taking to address the situation.[HL6097]

Lord Williams of Mostyn:

The initial projected cost for the Belfast to Bangor relay was £9.6 million in 1997. An updated appraisal cost of £14.7 million was calculated in April 1999 and the contract was awarded in July 2001 at a budgeted cost of £15.8 million. Translink has advised that the final cost of the project is not yet available as a number of claims from contractors have to be checked, substantiated and agreed. There are also complex contractual and legal issues to be resolved, many of which are related to a change of project management engineer for the works and the delays which arose following a fatality of a contractor's employee. The final costings may not be known for some time. However, indications are that the final cost will significantly exceed the contract price.