The Overhead Wire points to a Charlotte blog that shows that Charlotte’s light rail University extension will cost more than planned:
The Lynx extension will be much more complicated to build than the original light-rail line, which opened in 2007. That line cost $48 million per mile. The extension could cost more than $100 million per mile.
TOW wonders, “Why must they cost so much!!!??!!!” In a separate article, The Infrastructurist proclaims that “Building A Subway Is 96 Percent Cheaper In China”, a figure they arrive at by comparing the cost of building a subway in China as”$100 million per mile versus $2.4 billion per mile in the Big Apple.”
Okay, $2.4B is on the high end because… well, it’s New York. But $100M per mile for China — considering that there’s NO environmental review and abysmal labor conditions — actually sounds like it’s in the ballpark of most US systems, no? Sound Transit’s Link will be in the neighborhood of $150M – $200M per mile (guessing here), and that’s got a substantial subway component.
Obviously there are lots of differences between China, Charlotte, Seattle, and New York, in terms of rail technologies, costs of construction, labor, etc., etc. Still — $100M per mile doesn’t seem all that expensive to me, in Charlotte OR China, especially when you compare it to the costs of building a new highway that would carry that many people.
From everything I’ve read about the Charlotte University extension, nearly all of it will be at-grade, no subway, very little aerial structure. The majority of the Seattle system is grade-separated (tunnel or aerial, except for the Rainier Valley section) so that is definitely not a good comparison.
I’m all for expanding rail transit but I just don’t understand why the cost per mile is so high for this line. Yes, if you are comparing carrying capacity, the cost might be approximately the same for light rail and a highway. But if you look at right of way costs, they’re not. I doubt building a two lane concrete road (which would be about the same width as the Lynx line) would cost $100M/mile even if you subtract station costs.
I found out tonight. 16 different grade separations on the Charlotte line. There’s also a very environmentally sensitive area that the line will traverse. That is likely part of the cost as well. Though the hike of $50M a mile still gets me.
Actually, one line of light rail will carry way more than double what a freeway lane will carry. So the cost comparison starts with a four-lane limited-access freeway and goes rapidly up from there. A four-lane freeway will be significantly wider than a light rail line, so the extra costs associated with factors like buying right-of-way in an already developed area will be proportionally greater for a four-lane freeway.
I agree, a light rail line can carry more people than a freeway. However, I disagree that the cost comparison starts with a comparing the cost of a light rail line to the cost of a freeway.
A right of way needed for a four lane freeway, with median and shoulders, will be six to eight time as wide as the right of way needed for a light rail line making it physically impossible to build a four lane freeway in that right of way. So that is not a valid comparison. The actual PHYSICAL comparison for the right of way needed is with a two lane road. Yes, you will have grade separations at major roads with light rail that you won’t have with the road but I find it hard to believe that that is what is driving the cost up.
Again, I am all for building more rail transit but I still don’t get why the cost figures per mile for this line (and other lines around the country) are so high.
Well, the per mile cost cited for light rail usually includes everything- stations, signalling, the fixed guideway provided by two rails calibrated to a 1/16-inch tolerance. And the lifespan of the two structures is much different, as you will know if you have ever driven a truck with a 25-foot wheelbase down a 15-year-old freeway.
Probably if you separated everything out and got down to the individual contractors bids for items like grading and paving, the costs would be very similar, maybe a little more expensive for light rail because of the need for more accuracy.