The consortium responsible for the project has pledged to remove barriers at the northern end of George Street by November, and south of the Bathurst Street intersection by January. But businesses along the route of the 12-kilometre line are sceptical of the promises, citing repeated delays to construction. Some now face their third Christmas in a row of disruption. “They told us originally six to nine months in each zone – their credibility has been shot,” said Sophie Hunt, the managing director of Hunt Leather, who has joined a $60 million class action against the state's transport agency for disruption caused by the project. “No one believes anything now.” Some businesses are facing their third Christmas of disruption from the light rail line construction. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Civil construction. which includes guttering, smart poles and paving, has yet to be completed in any of the zones on George Street, making some of them almost two years' late. One of those equally sceptical is Zoey Wong, who works at phone repair and shop N2E several doors from the Chinese restaurant. She keeps the front door to the shop closed some days because of the noise and the dust from construction. She feels she has little choice, even though it results in fewer customers entering. Zoey Wong, who works at phone repair and accessory shop N2E is sceptical that barriers will be removed at the southern end of George Street by January. Credit:Louise Kennerley “Some customers cover their ears and don't want to stay in our store,” she said. “It really affects our business – the noise is really strong.”

Outside, construction barriers are about 3 metres from the shop's front door, narrowing the width of the footpath for pedestrians who rush past. On days when noise is excessive, customers can halve. The shop's revenue has dropped significantly. Further north on the other side of George Street, the barriers are further away from the front door of the Albion Place Hotel, next to the Event Cinemas. The manager, Will Middlehurst, said the shifting of the barriers to allow for a single lane of traffic along George Street outside the pub had helped, but the number of customers was still down. “The sooner they go, the better,” he said of the barriers. Albion Place hotel manager Will Middlehurst says the sooner the barriers go, the better. Credit:Louise Kennereley While contractors have said the barriers will be removed at the southern end of George Street by January, retailers and residents along the route of the line in Randwick, Kensington and Kingsford will have to wait until February for them to go.

Transport for NSW said it expected the ALTRAC consortium responsible for the project to deliver on its timeline for the removal of construction barriers on George Street. ALTRAC said it was “on track to remove or reduce” barriers as it had outlined in July. The project has turned into a major headache for the Berejiklian government due to repeated delays, legal battles and prolonged disruption to businesses and residents.