Opposition Leader Tony Abbott "makes it up as he goes along" on major projects, having repudiated his Victorian counterpart on urban rail funding, federal Labor says.
Mr Abbott and Victoria's Liberal Premier Denis Napthine appeared at odds on Thursday over Mr Abbott's support for a planned Melbourne Metro rail tunnel.
Dr Napthine says Mr Abbott assured him that support for the rail tunnel remained open under a federal coalition government.
"I've certainly had some discussions about Tony Abbott's issue with a rail tunnel and he's softened," Dr Napthine said on Thursday.
But Mr Abbott denied that he ever told the premier he was open to funding urban rail.
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"I would dispute that's the case," Mr Abbott said.
"What I say in public and what I say in private is the same ... we will not be committing to the metro rail scheme."
Federal Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese said Mr Abbott had consistently ruled out funding public transport projects.
"What we've had here is either Denis Napthine verballing Tony Abbott or Tony Abbott saying one thing to the premier and another thing publicly," Mr Albanese told reporters in Sydney.
"We have to work out which it is.
"When it comes to these projects, Tony Abbott makes it up as he goes along, he's not on top of the detail."
The federal government committed $3 billion in its latest budget to the Melbourne Metro rail project, while the federal coalition has promised $1.5 billion for the East West Link if it wins the election.
But Mr Albanese said the road project - which will link Melbourne's Eastern and Tullamarine freeways - lacked a detailed business case.
"We now have Tony Abbott saying 'don't worry about cost benefit analysis, don't worry about whether it stacks up or not, if it's a rail project, I'm not interested in it'," he said.
Mr Abbott said he had not seen a business case for the road but had been briefed on it and been assured the numbers stacked up.
Toll road operator Transurban, which operates Melbourne's CityLink tollway system, said it wasn't interested in participating in the East West Link project because the Victorian government's funding model didn't suit its business.
