crs1026
Superstar
Nope, it was strictly off the top of my head. The point was to see if I could break the number down from the global $2B with some proportionality, and see if the resulting numbers had any merit on their face.
My line construction cost of roughly $3M per mile came from - Union Pacific spent $327M US to add 108 miles of third track to their line from North Platte, NE to Gibbon, NE. That's flat non-rocky farmland. That would be an all-in cost with signals etc. That installation has an impressive CTC system, many and very high grade turnouts, heavy rail with concrete ties, very substantial grading, etc. so comparable to what CN would expect to vacate its existing line. That number would likely have grown somewhat with inflation as it's about 10 years old.
I figured $15M for each grade separation, a number I have seen thrown around before.
I suppose the other way to build it up would be.....if you had to build the co-production and the freight bypass first, how much of the $2B would that eat up? How much does that leave you for improvements to the remaining line? And how would you spend that remainder, however much that is? Would that give you a jump-start in ridership that would generate a cash flow for further improvements to finish the job?
Edit - re the British resignalling project cost - those lines have very unique and complex junctions, the likes of which won't be found on a VIA project. The crossovers on the Kingston Sub are simpler and are basically a template. The 3-to-2 interlockings are a template also. Even the UPX junctions at Airway, Humberview, and Nickle, while more complex, are constructed from a single template. Whereas on the Great Western, there are multi track junctions and no two are alike. I would expect the cost of the interlocking design, and the construction of the junctions, would be much higher.
- Paul
My line construction cost of roughly $3M per mile came from - Union Pacific spent $327M US to add 108 miles of third track to their line from North Platte, NE to Gibbon, NE. That's flat non-rocky farmland. That would be an all-in cost with signals etc. That installation has an impressive CTC system, many and very high grade turnouts, heavy rail with concrete ties, very substantial grading, etc. so comparable to what CN would expect to vacate its existing line. That number would likely have grown somewhat with inflation as it's about 10 years old.
I figured $15M for each grade separation, a number I have seen thrown around before.
I suppose the other way to build it up would be.....if you had to build the co-production and the freight bypass first, how much of the $2B would that eat up? How much does that leave you for improvements to the remaining line? And how would you spend that remainder, however much that is? Would that give you a jump-start in ridership that would generate a cash flow for further improvements to finish the job?
Edit - re the British resignalling project cost - those lines have very unique and complex junctions, the likes of which won't be found on a VIA project. The crossovers on the Kingston Sub are simpler and are basically a template. The 3-to-2 interlockings are a template also. Even the UPX junctions at Airway, Humberview, and Nickle, while more complex, are constructed from a single template. Whereas on the Great Western, there are multi track junctions and no two are alike. I would expect the cost of the interlocking design, and the construction of the junctions, would be much higher.
- Paul
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