Remember when everything wrong with the South Blvd. line was the fault of Parsons Transportation Group? That was the company responsible for the initial design and management of the project for CATS. Until last fall when Parsons was kicked off the project by CATS and accused of causing cost overruns and other mistakes on the $463 million line.

Now CATS is in a spat with project general contractor Archer Western. WBTV reports that CATS CEO Ron Tober has sent a letter to Archer complaining of “serious concerns” that the line will not open by its latest target date of November 26.

Sound familiar? Is it Archer or Parsons with the problem — or is it CATS itself?

Here’s what we do know. CATS desperately wants to have some train up and running by the November 6 vote on the half-cent transit. There is a good shot that a partial run from Uptown to Scaleybark might be up by then. The rest of the line out to 485, however, is another matter.

I’ve always held that spring 2008 is a more likely completion date for the entire 9.6. mile line. Certainly the year-end drop-dead date — the point beyond which CATS would be in violation of its agreement with the feds who supplied $193 million to have the project completed by then — has long been in jeopardy. Tober letter to Archer really does not add anything new to that.

What it does do is set the stage for CATS and Tober to heroically overcome obstacles in the next few weeks to get a partial line running “ahead” of schedule. Recall that CATS announced three new target dates in 2006 alone. The partial run “success story” will deflect attention away from the completion of the full line as well as the full cost of the project.

CATS then will attempt to portray those matters as the fault of Archer Western. Only once the November election is safely past will we get any kind of update on the status of the full project.

By then CATS will be well on its way to building the $300 million North line commuter rail and starting its pitch for the $750 million Northeast line.

In sum, Tober’s letter to Archer — whatever its intent — is another clear sign that we need to the state auditor to come in here ASAP and probe both the South line project and CATS’ future plans.

Update: On cue, CATS says everything is in fact fine and the “early” open option is still an option.