I won't defend that project specifically because I know nothing about it, but I would like to offer a couple of comments:
As a passenger, I have always found the experience of riding rail to be far superior to riding a bus for a lot of reasons including but not limited to speed and comfort.
A train generally has much higher capacity than buses, and if well utilised, a lower operating cost per passenger. An ideal transport system will use trains for the high traffic trunk routes and a tightly integrated bus system as feeders for the train line. It should never be expressed as an either/or proposition. Both are necessary.
