Construction of Sydney's $2.1 billion light rail is on track for completion in early 2019 despite several zones along George Street missing completion deadlines.
Work along George Street in Sydney's CBD started more than 18 months ago, and despite a deadline extension last year, seven out of 10 zones reportedly failed to meet the latest completion dates.
The discovery of about 1000 unexpected underground services and utilities have contributed to the delay, Transport for NSW's coordinator general Marg Prendergast told AAP.
"The complexity of what we've encountered underneath the ground has required design changes to accommodate these finds, resulting in the need to negotiate with stakeholders about matters including stormwater, gas, power and stop designs," she said.
"We always knew that the centre of the city would be the most difficult area and would require us to look at each zone on a case by case basis."
In an effort to make up time, major civil construction is being completed in conjunction with the systems work. That includes installing the third rail, installation of signals and station equipment and wiring the catenaries, Ms Prendergast says.
"We will begin to hand back sections as civil construction is completed, including along George Street from the middle of the year," she said.
Despite the delay on George Street, Ms Prendergast says the project is still on track for overall completion in early 2019, with work underway in 29 of the 31 construction zones and a total of 6.2 kilometres of track installed.
NSW Premier Gladys Bereijiklian, who was transport minister when the project was approved, also confirmed it was "as a whole is running on time and budget".
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