Not many serious smartcard players, Thales mentioned as a possible, Macquarie Bank interested, international attention on Sydney...i would think this would all be pleasing to Keycorp as it is certainly one serious player in this field.
"Tcard marriage not over, but wooing's started TECHNOLOGY, transport and investment companies have begun to lobby the NSW Government over the potential for a new transport smart card contract, as the beleaguered Tcard project hits a new low.
In just over two weeks, the Transport Minister, John Watkins, and his cabinet colleagues will decide the fate of Sydney's smart card.
On November 5, the Public Transport Ticketing Corporation, which runs the project, issued a notice of its intention to terminate its contract with ERG Limited.
The directive came after a delay notice in September and a request from the company for more time to implement the technology on the CityRail network.
ERG executives are scrambling to rescue the project, and will deliver a "remedial program" on November 30 in a bid to persuade the Government to forge ahead. But other potential suitors are in the wings.
Downer EDI, which has a $3.6 billion contract to deliver new rail carriages for NSW, and the French defence and technology company Thales have quietly begun talking to their Government contacts.
Macquarie Group has sought smartcard expertise in Australia and London, in its endless search for potentially lucrative deals.
In an industry with a small number of serious players, smartcard providers across the globe have been watching Sydney - one of the world's most complex projects - with interest.
While ERG's software has been found wanting on many occasions, project delays can also be traced to poor Government policy on the difficult question of fares.
The contract demands that ERG replicate all existing fares, as well as the new Tcard fares. It means that, compounded by variations for geographic zones, periodical tickets and concessions, there are about 500 variants that Tcard must be able to process.
ERG say its other projects around the world have been vastly simpler. In Rome there are about 10 fare products, in Hong Kong there are about 12, and Melbourne's magnetic-stripe regime is underpinned by 13 fare products with a total of 54 variants.
The public bus trial has been under way for a week. The company's chief operating officer, Steve Gallagher, said it would take years for another contractor to bring Sydney this close to a smartcard system.
"If they completely terminated our entire contract and ... if they didn't take the opportunity to make a simpler fare product environment, then I think you would be five years away," he said.
Meanwhile, the Opposition's transport spokeswoman, Gladys Berejiklian, is likely to call for a supplementary hearing into the project, which could force the ticketing corporation's chief executive, Elizabeth Zealand, to appear at the inquiry.
At a parliamentary estimates committee hearing on October 15, Mr Watkins refused to answer 13 consecutive questions from the Liberal MP Matthew Mason-Cox about the status of the project.
His answers were provided to the Opposition this week.
"We are bitterly unsatisfied with the minister's response on this issue," Ms Berejiklian said.
"He has misled the committee and the Parliament and we're taking steps to do everything we can to get to the bottom of this," Ms Berejiklian said.
Glen Byres, who is a spokesman for the Premier, Morris Iemma, said: "We are not aware of any contact or discussions with the Premier's Department by any company."
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