Cost Drift
Hook
Some Victorian projects have doubled in price. A handful have tripled. This page ranks every single one.
Key Numbers
- North East Link: $11.1B → $26.1B (+135%) [BP4 TEI]
- West Gate Tunnel: $6.3B → $10.2B (+62%) [BP4 TEI]
- Level Crossing Removals: $8.3B → $14.5B (+75%) [BP4 TEI]
- Suburban Rail Loop range: $11.8B → $35-100B+ [BP4 + PBO]
Context
Cost drift is the gap between what a project was first committed to cost and what it now costs. Governments update these numbers in every budget — but they publish them in a thousand-page document no-one reads. We read it. This page sorts the full list by biggest dollar increase, biggest percentage increase, and rare decreases.
Each row has a sparkline showing the TEI trajectory across every budget paper we hold. A jagged upward line tells the story in one glance. A flat line on a politically sensitive project can also tell a story — sometimes the government stops updating the TEI when the number would be embarrassing.
Takeaway
A $1 billion blowout used to be a scandal. Now it's a Tuesday. The cost drift page is how you see which projects the drift is concentrated on — and which contractors are benefiting.
Share Stat
North East Link: promised for $11.1B in 2017. Now costed at $26.1B. That's a 135% blowout — on one project.
Last reviewed: 11 Apr 2026