7 ms·

I believe 40mill is the average across the network. The 8 billion is for a specific portion in a high CoL area with the majority being land acquisition costs. I

by vaidhy 3y ago

I believe 40mill is the average across the network. The 8 billion is for a specific portion in a high CoL area with the majority being land acquisition costs. If you have a dig a new subway station in middle of Frankfurt, for an infrastructure that does not exist today, it would not be the average.

Pet_Ant 3y ago
> The 8 billion is for a specific portion in a high CoL area with the majority being land acquisition costs. This is exactly the kind of thing I was suspecting was by misleading by the original number. "America can't build affordable high-speed rail" suggests that that their is same lacking capability in engineering. "Land costs make building in dense areas unprofitable" is a completely different story.
- ianburrell 3y ago
  Also, the $8 billion includes building the train station under the Transbay Terminal. Train stations, especially underground ones, are really expensive. Plus, it is digging a tunnel for the tracks.
  - bluGill 3y ago
    Germany avoids doing those things. Good engineering could get the cost down as there are options
    - ianburrell 3y ago
      I almost used the example of Stuttgart 21 project which is way over budget (9 billion) and over time (6 year delay). It is bigger scope, with whole new main station and lots of track.
- mschuster91 3y ago
  > "America can't build affordable high-speed rail" suggests that that their is same lacking capability in engineering. "Land costs make building in dense areas unprofitable" is a completely different story. The reason doesn't matter - the end result does, namedly that America is incapable for a multitude of reasons (lack of political support, NIMBYs, excessive land value, unions ridiculous even to a union-loving European, lack of experience in planning and construction of such projects) to build high-speed rail.

7 ms·

I believe 40mill is the average across the network. The 8 billion is for a specific portion in a high CoL area with the majority being land acquisition costs. I

by vaidhy 3y ago

Pet_Ant 3y ago
> The 8 billion is for a specific portion in a high CoL area with the majority being land acquisition costs. This is exactly the kind of thing I was suspecting was by misleading by the original number. "America can't build affordable high-speed rail" suggests that that their is same lacking capability in engineering. "Land costs make building in dense areas unprofitable" is a completely different story.
- ianburrell 3y ago
  Also, the $8 billion includes building the train station under the Transbay Terminal. Train stations, especially underground ones, are really expensive. Plus, it is digging a tunnel for the tracks.
  - bluGill 3y ago
    Germany avoids doing those things. Good engineering could get the cost down as there are options
    - ianburrell 3y ago
      I almost used the example of Stuttgart 21 project which is way over budget (9 billion) and over time (6 year delay). It is bigger scope, with whole new main station and lots of track.
- mschuster91 3y ago
  > "America can't build affordable high-speed rail" suggests that that their is same lacking capability in engineering. "Land costs make building in dense areas unprofitable" is a completely different story. The reason doesn't matter - the end result does, namedly that America is incapable for a multitude of reasons (lack of political support, NIMBYs, excessive land value, unions ridiculous even to a union-loving European, lack of experience in planning and construction of such projects) to build high-speed rail.