Here's a surprise, Victorians in financial distress, page-119

The Suburban Rail Loop, when looked at historically, will be noted as the making of Melbourne transportation. Unfortunately, the development has come 10-20 years too
late and the costs are a fail because of that time lapse and the skillset to develop them properly or deliver the project are either not up to scratch or not available due to worldwide demands in this area currently.

But it is a city shaping project and Melbournians will see benefits for decades downstream once it is built.