The Transit Cost Project: How to Create the Cheapest and Best Public Transit in History
Why do transit-infrastructure projects in New York cost 20 times more on a per kilometer basis than in Seoul? Read onwards to find out
Wherever you live, I can assure you that you’re being bombarded by news about local public transit projects that are years behind schedule, billions of dollars over budget and all to often being scrapped or postponed indefinitely.
Why is this?
It turns out that all to often, these projects are planned and built in a vacuum, not including and learning from the thousands of similar projects being built around the world
Imagine if Apple spent all the money they do today to only build one iPhone, and then scrapping all the parts and know-how just to start developing and building another iPhone. That is basically how most governments have operated with many of their public infrastructure projects.
What can be done to combat this idiocy?
Let’s talk about the Transit Cost Project: It is a project under the umbrella of NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management that aims to figure out how to deliver more high-capacity transit projects for a fraction of the cost.
To achieve this, the project researchers have created a database that spans more than 50 countries and totals more than 11,000 km of urban rail built since the late 1990s.
The project goal is also carry out six in-depth case studies that take a closer look at the unique considerations and variables that aren’t easily quantified, like project management, governance, and site conditions.
I hope to write about these case studies separately to raise awareness and give you the most important findings.
This is an ongoing project, but so far the findings have been incredibly fruitful. Applicable findings have already been found, such as how strict noise pollution requirements or NIMBYs with a lot of influence over the construction process can have a greater cost than any other factor!
For all of you interested in the cost of existing railways, the Transit Cost Project is 65% done in creating a chart of the cost per km of all the major railway networks in the world, which you can see HERE.
So, if you have any interest in Public Transit, I strongly encourage you to follow the Transit Cost Project website HERE.