Growing Caltrain into an 8-Lane Freeway (2018)

Re:Growing Caltrain into an 8-Lane Freeway (2018) by marcinzm on Sunday January 06, 2019 @01:03PM (#18839583)

Cheaper and faster does not mean it's cheap or fast. Traffic needs rerouting, existing underground infrastructure (water, power, etc.) needs to be handled, stations need to be built, ventilation needs to be built, etc.

The BART Berryessa Extension was above ground (even cheaper) and still cost $230 million per mile. So, yeah, I doubt cut and cover would be anywhere close to cheap.

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Re:Growing Caltrain into an 8-Lane Freeway (2018) by bobthepanda on Sunday January 06, 2019 @01:37PM (#18839764)

Those are factors of all underground construction. Some of those are even factors of elevated or ground level construction, since utilities are rarely placed with foresight for things like tunnels, and you’re probably impacting road drainage and need to reconstruct wall to wall.

Cut and cover actually doesn’t really use ventilation; with enough openings to the sidewalk, trains will create a natural piston effect cycling air in and out of tunnels. That’s how the NYC subway operates.

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Re:Growing Caltrain into an 8-Lane Freeway (2018) by marcinzm on Sunday January 06, 2019 @02:31PM (#18840064)

>Those are factors of all underground construction.

Yes, my point exactly. Underground construction is not cheap.

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