Quote:
Originally Posted by d_jeffrey
How come it was so cheap to build?
|
They took almost every opportunity to reduce costs. They are using off-the-shelf Liberty streetcars built by Brookville, which have a battery mode of operation. Therefore they did not have to run catenary wires over the entire 6 miles length.
Less wires requires less rectifier power units out in the city on the right-of-way.
Stops are not over built, just a small bus shelter with slightly higher platforms than existing sidewalks. There's lots of way to save on construction costs if you decide to do them, i.e. being happy with a Chevy instead of a Caddy.
To make that point slightly more vivid, I was out looking at purchasing a Kia Sportage last week, MSRP ran from around $23,000 to $36,000 depending upon options. If you are happy with standard stuff, you can save $13,000 (one third the price of a fully deck out SUV). Too many of us want fully deck out everything included stuff, then complain about its' cost.