Miami Metrorail

[tufsu1]

hey  what is the cost differice between  light rail and hevy rail,  seems like every body wants light or hevy  rail

generally heavy rail is more expensive as it requires dedicated separation of traffic....but it really depends....for example, will light rail be running on the streets or on fixed guideway above or below....if separate, it can be just as costly

[urbaknight]

Gas prices are on the rise again. Soon the prices may be too much for many ordinary people, they'll never be cheap or resonable ever again. Now is the time to extend the skyway, establish streetcar lines, and get started on LRT already! Because the demand will be there. I've noticed the buses getting more and more ridership every day, even during off peak hours the buses are packed.

[Keith-N-Jax]

It would make sense, but money will always be an issue funding such projects.

[tpot]

Great article! I can't wait till they connect the airport to downtown via metrorail. Now we just need a loop to SoBe to complete it all....

[Ocklawaha]

...AND NOW FOR A LITTLE MORE LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT OF COSTS...

hey  what is the cost differice between  light rail and hevy rail,  seems like every body wants light or hevy  rail

While TUFSU gave you the exceptions to the general rule, the cost of a no frills light rail system can be as low as $2 million per mile.  Quite simply you WILL NOT find a heavy rail system that is even close.

Heavy rail systems such as NYC, METRORAIL, MARTA, BART, or the CTA, typically run from around $60 million a mile to $250 million a mile. As TUFSU indicated the large spectrum of costs depend greatly on the type of installation, such as on ground (cheapest), elevated, or subway.  Pricing also varies depending on things like parking lots, elaborate stations or simple platforms, or how many palm trees and street lights are included in the cost of "rail."

Light rail systems, ranging from modern LRV's to modern STREETCAR to HERITAGE STREETCARS, in order from most expensive to least.  Again, LRT in it's various forms can be jacked up depending on what gets added in as "rail costs", sometimes pretty wild rail costs like "streetscaping" IE: bricks, park benches, trash cans, and those cool streetlights that look like 1920 vintage.  LIGHT RAIL systems run from a low of $2 million a mile up to $60 million.

Current examples at the ends of those costs would be HEAVY RAIL in the range of $75 million a mile for the CTA BLUE LINE to a high of $550 million a mile for the SAN FRANCISCO CENTRAL SUBWAY.  Likewise LIGHT RAIL costs have ranged from a low of $2 million a mile KENOSHA HERITAGE STREETCAR to a high of $65 million a mile for the LOS ANGELES GOLD LINE LRT.

This is why many of us "transit geeks," were highly critical of the recent Tampa LRT plan that apparently tried to set some sort of new world record for costs... Man that was a LOT of park benches and trash cans, and God knows how much for their local Concrete and Oil magnet.

(Figures from APTA - FTA - RECONNECTING AMERICA)

OCKLAWAHA

[tufsu1]

This is why many of us "transit geeks," were highly critical of the recent Tampa LRT plan that apparently tried to set some sort of new world record for costs... Man that was a LOT of park benches and trash cans, and God knows how much for their local Concrete and Oil magnet.

I learned that much of that cost was in ROW....if Tampa had chosen the I-275 route for the north leg, FDOT wanted them to build the rail where it sill allowed for interstate expansion...which meant acquiring lots of property....if they chose the CSX route, they had to pay the company!

[thelakelander]

Here's a great shot of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) around Metrorail's Dadeland South station...


http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgmiami/3458756452/