Anonymous wrote:The US is absolutely pathetic wrt the time and cost of building subways.

It is infrastructure in general. Look at Amtrak. Republicans will not fund a rail system that could run at 150 mph. Let alone a maglev train. New York to Washington could be an hour and 40 minutes or an hour with maglev. New York to Boston 40 minutes.

Now the big benefit of investing in a high speed train network in the northeast would be on time air travel. The NE air corridor is at maximum use. 90% of air traffic delays in the US can be traced back to the NE air corridor. With a functioning high speed or maglev train operating in the NE you could remove 30% of the air traffic from the corridor. No can’t do that because it cost too much.

Anonymous wrote:I think this is a waste of government resources but I took great pleasure watching these NIMBYs squealing in opposition to the project and showing their true colors or masquerading as environmentalists.

I didn't. They greatly delayed the project and greatly increased the costs.

I think this is a waste of government resources but I took great pleasure watching these NIMBYs squealing in opposition to the project and showing their true colors or masquerading as environmentalists.

Anonymous wrote:After all of the drama, delays, and cost overruns associated with this boondoggle of a project, I'm not sure MDOT would want to rush and slap its insignia on train cars.

Much of the drama, delays, and cost overruns are associated with our boondoggle of a former governor, Larry Hogan.

https://washingtonmonthly.com/2022/06/20/larry-hogan-purple-line-fiasco/

Not to mention our boondoggle of a local municipality, the Town of Chevy Chase and some of its residents (including those whose sheds were squatting on public land).

And then, of course, there were the elusive endangered amphipods, which resolutely refused to be found.

The US is absolutely pathetic wrt the time and cost of building subways.

After all of the drama, delays, and cost overruns associated with this boondoggle of a project, I'm not sure MDOT would want to rush and slap its insignia on train cars.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is WMATA constructing a light rail line and not a subway????

Because the cost of a subway was project crushing. If you add in the money that the USDOT, WMATA and MDOT and a private corporation for a public-private joint project, it was still significantly short of the project costs for a subway.

No one could afford the costs for putting this underground.

Part of the high costs were all of the frivolous lawsuits by the gentry class in Chevy Chase, MD and then the halt and start caused by Governor Hogan, which $6B can be directly attributed. And people want to make that guy president, hell no.

Anonymous wrote:Why is WMATA constructing a light rail line and not a subway????

Because the cost of a subway was project crushing. If you add in the money that the USDOT, WMATA and MDOT and a private corporation for a public-private joint project, it was still significantly short of the project costs for a subway.

No one could afford the costs for putting this underground.

Anonymous wrote:Where are they getting this money?

Yeah I heard Metro was bankrupt

It’s not part of the Wmata system. The owner is the MDOT Maryland Transit Administration, who also has a light rail line in Baltimore.

Light rail is way less expensive than heavy rail / subway in tunnels. The PL just has one small tunnel.

The PL crosses Wmata at 4 stations, and a few of the Wmata stations (Bethesda and Silver Spring) are being modified to accommodate the PL.

Years ago there was a brief proposal to put the purple line underground. Due to the cost of tunneling, the proposal would have entailed moving the line to the outer suburbs.

When will they finish?

Where are they getting this money?

Why is WMATA constructing a light rail line and not a subway????