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This isn't a valid comparison. Underground rail is vastly more expensive than above-ground rail. And a lot of the above-ground Crossrail rails already exist. I

This isn't a valid comparison. Underground rail is vastly more expensive than above-ground rail. And a lot of the above-ground Crossrail rails already exist. I could just as easily say that the Central Subway in San Francisco is only $147 million per mile, because the $1.5B 1.7-mile underground extension connects to the existing roughly 10-mile K Ingleside/T Third line. This blog post [1] has a better comparison. By this measure, Crossrail is less expensive per kilometer than the new subways in New York City, which are abnormally pricey, but significantly less expensive than the SF Central Subway for example. [1]: https://pedestrianobservations.com/2011/05/16/us-rail-construction-costs/ https://pedestrianobservations.com/2011/05/16/us-rail-constr...

rayiner 7y ago
Thanks for the correction. I've revised based on your comment. Note that your link counts the non-tunnel sections as zero cost, which isn’t correct either. There is a significant amount of new above-ground track. Also, the project involved major upgrades to the pre-existing track and stations, which can be enormously expensive: http://www.crossrail.co.uk/route/eastern-section http://www.crossrail.co.uk/route/eastern-section On the eastern section, 43 miles of track was upgraded, 27 stations were "redeveloped" and 20 bridges were "renewed." These efforts were undoubtedly cheaper than building all-new track, but could cost billions on their own. So the real per-mile cost is somewhere in-between the $300 million and $850 million figures.
- Symbiote 7y ago
  > These efforts were undoubtedly cheaper than building all-new track Well, that depends. Part of the justification for building HS2 (a high-speed railway from London to Birmingham, Manchester, etc) is that building a new line is much cheaper than upgrading the existing line (again). Making changes to a railway that's being used is expensive: time is used preparing and restoring the area to be worked on, labour at night or weekends is more expensive, and it's much more important that the work is right the first time, so trains can resume on schedule.
  - johnday 7y ago
    HS2 is a special case because it is augmenting the West Coast Main Line which runs at-capacity almost 24/7. You can't shut it down for 30 minutes at 3am, let alone for years while it is replaced wholesale. To do it piece by piece would take either unfathomable amounts of money or several decades of piecework.

rayiner 7y ago

Thanks for the correction. I've revised based on your comment. Note that your link counts the non-tunnel sections as zero cost, which isn’t correct either. There is a significant amount of new above-ground track. Also, the project involved major upgrades to the pre-existing track and stations, which can be enormously expensive: http://www.crossrail.co.uk/route/eastern-section http://www.crossrail.co.uk/route/eastern-section On the eastern section, 43 miles of track was upgraded, 27 stations were "redeveloped" and 20 bridges were "renewed." These efforts were undoubtedly cheaper than building all-new track, but could cost billions on their own. So the real per-mile cost is somewhere in-between the $300 million and $850 million figures.

Symbiote 7y ago
> These efforts were undoubtedly cheaper than building all-new track Well, that depends. Part of the justification for building HS2 (a high-speed railway from London to Birmingham, Manchester, etc) is that building a new line is much cheaper than upgrading the existing line (again). Making changes to a railway that's being used is expensive: time is used preparing and restoring the area to be worked on, labour at night or weekends is more expensive, and it's much more important that the work is right the first time, so trains can resume on schedule.
- johnday 7y ago
  HS2 is a special case because it is augmenting the West Coast Main Line which runs at-capacity almost 24/7. You can't shut it down for 30 minutes at 3am, let alone for years while it is replaced wholesale. To do it piece by piece would take either unfathomable amounts of money or several decades of piecework.