Quote:
Originally Posted by MalcolmTucker
Edmonton had spent way less by the time the expansion again started in both Edmonton (to Health Sciences) and Calgary (to Fish Creek).
$446.2 year 2000 USD for 18.2 miles in Calgary and $319.0 in Edmonton for 7.6 miles. http://www.calgarytransit.com/pdf/calgary_ctrain_effective_capital_utilization_TRB_paper.pdf
Calgary invested in expanding the LRT beyond the first leg by using debt, Edmonton was unwilling to. To this day Edmonton carries less debt, and in exchange they have less recreation facilities (first new pool in 25+ years opened recently iirc) and way less investment in park infrastructure.
The councils Klein led made tough calls that really changed the city in important ways. |
20/20 hindsight would suggest Calgary had the better plan, as construction costs skyrocketed way faster than inflation and interest rates, so carrying debt to construct early was a very good way to go from a dollars perspective, while at the same time allowing us to have more infrastructure earlier.
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