This is a 16-kilometre conventional rail line. Its construction is a relatively minor project. Yet it has already taken four years.

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OC Transpo’s new southern light-rail line raises a lot of questions beyond the obvious one of when it will finally open. It’s two years behind schedule and there is still no firm start date.

The delay is perhaps the least surprising thing about this white elephant-in-waiting. The first question that jumps out is why would the city build an all-new diesel train line that is technologically incompatible with the rest of the electric-powered light rail system? That means people using the southern line will have to transfer at Bayview Station if they want to go east or west.

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The argument at the time the decision was made was one of practicality and cost. The city already had diesel trains, stations and track running from........

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