by jfrey40535
SEPTA has been telling us for years now that they are expanding service back to Wawa, as early as 2005 from what I can see. Yet here we are 4 years later, and not a section of rail or piece of ballast has been turned over. What is taking so long, and who will be doing the work?
The 2007 Capital budget shows the cost of the project at $51mil with $6 mil in prior funding (I assume that means money has already been spent on it). $31 mil was scheduled for 2008-2010. What did that money buy us?
Then turning to the 2010 Capital budget, the cost balloned from $51mil to $80 mil. Ok, what changed? Is the railroad industry experiencing some sort of hyper-inflation that passed the rest of us?
Another $4.5 mil is scheduled to be spent next year, with $54 mil being spent in the 5 years after that, and $10 mil in the 7 years after that. Does that mean it will take 12 years to move the railroad ahead 3 miles?
I know that section of railroad may not be up to SEPTA's standards, but $80 mil for 3 miles? We have existing track, catenary poles and bridges, some which may need to be replaced, but still $80 mil? The average cost/mile of a flat railroad is about $2mil/mile, so where is the rest of the money going? Consultants and engineers who got a lifetime contract to study a existing active line?
The 2007 Capital budget shows the cost of the project at $51mil with $6 mil in prior funding (I assume that means money has already been spent on it). $31 mil was scheduled for 2008-2010. What did that money buy us?
Then turning to the 2010 Capital budget, the cost balloned from $51mil to $80 mil. Ok, what changed? Is the railroad industry experiencing some sort of hyper-inflation that passed the rest of us?
Another $4.5 mil is scheduled to be spent next year, with $54 mil being spent in the 5 years after that, and $10 mil in the 7 years after that. Does that mean it will take 12 years to move the railroad ahead 3 miles?
I know that section of railroad may not be up to SEPTA's standards, but $80 mil for 3 miles? We have existing track, catenary poles and bridges, some which may need to be replaced, but still $80 mil? The average cost/mile of a flat railroad is about $2mil/mile, so where is the rest of the money going? Consultants and engineers who got a lifetime contract to study a existing active line?
The design/engineering phase of this project is underway and scheduled for completion in the 3rd quarter of Calendar Year 2010Outside of the station facility, which sounds overly fancy, what is there to engineer? Based on this project, it costs SEPTA $26million per mile to build a railroad. This sounds really outlandish.