Unanderra residents have been waiting for years for lifts at the train station - now they'll have to wait even longer.
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Earlier this week, the Transport for NSW site said construction was expected to be completed by the middle of next year.
However, on Wednesday, that was changed to some time in early 2024.
According to Transport for NSW the delay is related to when trackwork takes place.
"This project relies on scheduled trackwork weekends to complete work, with four weekends allocated at Unanderra each year," the spokeswoman said.
"However, due to industrial action, work on the footbridge planned for one of these weekends in December had to be postponed as the project required electrical permits to be granted.
"Unfortunately, when one set of planned work moves, it has a domino effect to the subsequent planned work requiring reassessment to project timelines."
The spokeswoman said the contractor "will continue to mitigate delays where possible".
Wollongong MP Paul Scully said it was taking longer than would seem reasonable to get the footbridge in place.
"This will come as a disappointment to so many who are hoping to see the lifts completed by early to mid next year," Mr Scully said.
"I'd urge Transport for NSW, and I'll be taking this up with the minister, to see if there aren't opportunities to do everything humanly possible to get these lifts built."
The Transport for NSW spokeswoman said the external structures for the platform lift and western lift were completed and the internal lift fit-out for the platform lift has started.
All three lifts were planned to be completed by early 2023.
They will be operational once that footbridge was completed - even if that occurs before any remaining work is complete.
The saga of the lifts at Unanderra started in June 2009 when the then Labor government promised an $11.4 million upgrade to the station.
The lifts were part of the second stage of works, which began in May 2010, but was held up several months later when underground gas and water services were found in the location of the lift wells.
The redesign work was completed in March 2011 but, before work could resume, the Liberal Party won the election.
Later, in 2012 the newly created body Transport for NSW reviewed all station access projects, and the government opted not to build the lifts and directed the money to another station that better fits its funding criteria.
After years of campaigning from locals, the then Transport Minister Andrew Constance committed $20 million for the upgrade as a 2019 election promise.
Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
