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[quote user="John WR"] [quote user="Sam1"]BRT does run on existing rights-of-way for the most part.  Commuter and light rail do likewise.[/quote] If BRT uses existing (rail) rights of way how then are the capital costs for BRT less than those for rail rapid transit?  Does it cost 4 million dollars a mile more to build a railroad track than it costs to build a bus road? [/quote] By existing rights-of-way I mean roadways for buses, for the most part, and railways for light rail and commuter rail. The cost to implement BRT in Austin includes the cost of the equipment, stations and turn-ins, new traffic signal lights, relocation of underground utility lines, and stripping of lanes for BRT vehicles.   The cost to upgrade the Austin and Western to accommodate the Red Line included the stations, a new signal system, installation of overhead utility lines, implementation of passing tracks or sidings, etc.   The estimated cost of implementing BRT ($3 million per mile on average) was preliminary.  The estimated cost to build the proposed light rail line ($47 million per mile on average) is so much higher because most of it would be built from scratch, which amongst other things would require the acquisition of a dedicated right-of-way.  The cost to upgrade the Austin and Western ($5.5 million per mile on average) is a known number. In the Northeast, as well as Chicago and San Francisco, the suburbs developed along existing rail lines, i.e. out the main line from Philadelphia to Villanova, Paoli, etc.  For most of the rest of the country the suburbs developed along the highway system.  For this reason commuter rail and light rail, with a few exceptions, does not work as well as it does in the Northeast or out of Chicago.  In many instances BRT and HOV lanes are a better solution than rail. Midland Mike has suggested that BRT is a better option for cash strapped cities. City cash is a factor. But another factor, according to several articles, is the federal government, which provides a significant portion of the funding for every major transit system in the United States, is shocked at the price tag of light rail. Apparently it is pushing alternative solutions like BRT.
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