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The people don't know how much everything costs. They haven't a clue how much a rural interstate highway costs. They haven't a clue how much an urban freeway costs. They haven't a clue how much an adequate freight/commuter railroad line costs supporting speed of 79 mph, They haven't a clue how much high speed rail will costs supporting speeds of either 120 mph, 150 mph, or 186 mph. They haven't a clue how much light rail costs supporting speed of 79 mph. They haven't a clue how much a monorail costs supporting speed of 79 mph. The public is misinformed. It is our job to inform them. Yes, costs vary somewhat. I have had a devil of a time getting firm numbers, as anyone on this web site will confirm, I am all over the place. But I have been able to conclude with the numbers I have confirmed that railroad tracks are cheaper than an interstate highway, whether high speed, light rail, commuter, or freight. What varies the costs is the location of the right of way, whether urban or rural. What varies the costs is the number of overpasses, underpasses, bridges, and tunnels. What varies the costs is whether the right of way is a new one that has to be purchased, or an old right of way that already exists, more so than whether the new railroad is electrified or not, which by the way is $3 million a rail mile. Here is a map in which I have drawn in some lines representing some high speed rail(HSR) links I would like to have built. Some of the lines are duplicated, are very close and can be eliminated, such as the second line going from the NEC to Florida and the second line going from Texas to either Georgia or Florida. The total distance of the rest of these HSR lines minus the two I mentioned is about 7,000 miles. Adding the two lines will bring the total distance to less than 9,000 miles. The cost will probably be somewhere inbetween $12 million to $18 million per mile, depending on the terrain. Figuring an average of $15 million per mile may be too simple, but I shall go with this number. Notice that the below totals are about the same amount the Federal DOT spends in two years. I support a moratorium on highway and airport construction for two years to build this network of HSR instead. 7,000 miles @ $15 million per mile is $105 billion. 9,000 miles @ $15 million per mile is $135 billion. This is approximately the same price as a rural 4 lane interstate highway. An urban interstate interchange can cost up to and over $1 billion..... http://homepage.mac.com/donclark/.Public/DonHSR.jpg
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