calebnf t1_jboegz3 wrote
I wonder how much something like this would cost in, say, London. Infrastructure costs so much fucking money here and nobody seems to know why.
Nathaniel82A t1_jbofte0 wrote
I mean, I think most of us know why.. but we aren’t prepared to tackle that kind of shit at the moment. Same reason the military budget is so hyper-inflated. Government contracts tend to disperse the money in a “particular way” unlike private sector contracts.
ketzal7 t1_jboun3n wrote
It’s more that the independent contractors and consultants that the MTA hires charge absurd amounts. If the MTA kept on more staff for large projects and did everything in-house you would have lower costs.
MrNewking t1_jbp3dou wrote
Bingo ☝️
It costs less to hire contractors short term then the same cost of hiring and keeping staff.
Long term those contractor cost balloon and an internal team is cheaper, but it's political sucide to pay a higher up front cost so that the next guy in office has it cheaper.
planning_throwaway1 t1_jbxzoa1 wrote
Not to mention the importance of institutional knowledge, and just having the bandwidth to manage projects.
NYC used to have hundreds more planners and engineers on staff. All those jobs and more get outsourced to private consultants at 3x the cost now, while they're managed by an overworked skeleton crew.
Pool_Shark t1_jbp5r1o wrote
But then how would the politicians be able to funnel cash to their friends and relatives!?
CraftsyDad t1_jbqhqns wrote
Nobody in government wants to be seen as increasing the size of government.
rbmavpdubcejefntvz t1_jbos31i wrote
I remember reading one mile of subway tunnel in NYC costs 20x the amount it costs to install one mile in London.
Boogie-Down t1_jbp1oc1 wrote
Everyone having healthcare your employer doesn’t need to provide probably helps a bit.
shanninc t1_jbp3i33 wrote
If you want a fun comparison: India built a 21 mile line (underground, but cut and cover construction) with 27 stations as part of the Mumbai Metro system for 1/3 the expected costs of this Harlem extension.
The entire 220 mile, 286 station system is expected to cost ~$13B USD.
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