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Yeah, no, the US is definitely an outlier, building virtually any public infrastructure costs way more than it should. Tokyo can still build underground subway
by jpatokal 10y ago
Yeah, no, the US is definitely an outlier, building virtually any public infrastructure costs way more than it should. Tokyo can still build underground subway lines at 1/8th the cost:
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-04-08/why-u-s-infrastructure-costs-so-much https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-04-08/why-u-s-i...
The answer why is complex, but the two big factors seem to be red tape, specifically that standards are overengineered and it takes forever to get approvals, and lack of experience and existing construction infrastructure, so instead of having a well-greased machine like Singapore's that churns out line after line in rapid succession, you need to ramp up and ramp down for every single project.
- achamayou 10y agoWhat the article refers to is a cost estimate for the Koto Waterfront line, which hasn't been approved at this point, let alone started construction. Whether it will be built on budget is anyone's guess. The route would also be in a relatively recently built area, so it's not hard to imagine why it would be cheaper to plan and execute that a route under Manhattan. I don't know very much about NYC, but the comparison does not seem fair.
- jpatokal 10y agoTokyo's newest subway the Fukutoshin line, spanning some of Tokyo's most congested areas (Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro), cost around $250m/km, so still around 1/4 of the NYC cost.
- cmurf 10y agoWhere is this cost going? Manhattan has much harder soil and the new subway required an extensive dewatering and water proofing projects.