By the numbers : EXAMPLES OF LIGHT RAIL COSTS
Posted on Sunday, May 4, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/64804/
!" Maryland — could cost between $ 375 million and $ 1. 6 billion depending on which configuration is selected.
!" Dallas — The $ 2. 5 billion Dallas Area Rapid Transit expansion will span 21 miles
!" Minneapolis / St. Paul — Estimated at a cost of $ 930 million, an 11-mile light rail line
!" Phoenix — $ 1. 4 billion project due to open Dec. 26, 2008; the project has $ 162 million in contingency funding but only $ 70 million remains.
!" Honolulu — Estimates show construction of a 23-mile rail route could cost more than $ 3 billion. (Earlier construction estimates were nearer to $ 2 billion )
!" Oceanside to Excondido, Calif. — The original cost estimate for the 22-mile line was $ 351. 5 million. County officials voted to increase the budget to $ 440 million
!" Charlotte, N. C. — About half of the $ 430 million cost of the south corridor line is being funded with federal allocations, with the balance split between state and local government.
!" Ottawa, Canada — City unveiling $ 725 million light-rail plan, but estimates range from $ 744 million to more than a billion dollars, depending on who’s talking.
Other costs to consider:
!" Environmental effects, right of way, operations and maintenance, economic and social impacts
!" Utility relocation, archeological finds and real estate transactions all took longer than expected in Phoenix
!" Feeder systems, such as buses, to get to and from the rail stations
Northwest Arkansas
Proponents of light rail in Northwest Arkansas have suggested an approximately 32-mile system from Drake Field in Fayetteville to Bentonville. That is more than Honolulu’s system and nearly triple Minneapolis / St. Paul.
“ In 20 years, we could have invested $ 1 billion or $ 1. 2 billion dollars on this, but that’s less than what we’re going to be spending on fixes to highway problems, ” Ron Goforth, president of Beta-Rubicon Inc. and CEO of EquityNet LLC
— Sources: Maryland Community Newspapers Online — July 2006; Dallas Business Journal — July 3, 2006; Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal —June 2006; EastValleyTribune. com for Metro Phoenix’s East Valley Region — July 7, 2006; Honolulu Star Bulletin — June 2006; North County Times — June 2006; Charlotte Business Journal — June 2006