RAIL - Back On Track Forum

Zurich S-Bahn Explained

Next time I hear about objections around trains going up low hills in Brisbane... 

Goes up a mountain - 8% grade apparently. Also, VERY unusual.

Quote from: #Metro on September 13, 2022, 19:10:59 PMNext time I hear about objections around trains going up low hills in Brisbane... 

I don't think anyone has ever questioned the ability of building rail tunnels, it's moreso the viability of building said tunnels.

Quote from: Cazza on September 15, 2022, 15:29:00 PM

Quote from: #Metro on September 13, 2022, 19:10:59 PMNext time I hear about objections around trains going up low hills in Brisbane... 

I don't think anyone has ever questioned the ability of building rail tunnels, it's moreso the viability of building said tunnels.

Exactly. $$$$$$$$$$$$$......

Cheaper isn't always better. We need to look at the overall value proposition.

Transit Costs Project - About
https://transitcosts.com/about/

QuoteWhy do transit-infrastructure projects in New York cost 20 times more on a per kilometer basis than in Seoul? We investigate this question across hundreds of transit projects from around the world. We 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. We will also examine this question in greater detail by carrying out six in-depth case studies that take a closer look at unique considerations and variables that aren't easily quantified, like project management, governance, and site conditions.

PS: The database has also figures for the completed NW Sydney metro, which was 42% in tunnel. This came out to be $230 million/km.

As RM transit often emphasises overspending on transit projects is a major problem in modern times. An overly expensive project takes money away from the next project and saps political will.
I think we need to seriously look at countries which are constructing these projects more cheaply than us (South Korea, Sweden, Spain, Finland) and forensically analyse how we can improve.
If we can control costs it's possible to have new projects started consistently/continuously and avoid long stretches of time where our infrastructure falls behind.

Members should look at the new Metro tunnel through Stockholm.

This consists of a tunnel through solid bedrock (no soil as ice-age glaciers scraped that all away, had to use high explosives) which then exits into a tunnel that was pre-fabricated and then sunk on the lakebed, and then opened while underwater to run the train through it.

No resumptions allowed as the buildings are hundreds and thousands of years old and irreplaceable.

Quote from: #Metro on September 15, 2022, 19:56:41 PMCheaper isn't always better. We need to look at the overall value proposition.

So basically depending on the way the wind is blowing.

1) The project is a concrete fiesta and we should just paint some bus lanes or implement a BUZ with the stroke of a pen.

2) We should build an underground train because it is physically possible to do so and that's good enough reason for the concept.

So basically what I wrote in that quote box that you parodied.

Might want to read it again.