Quote:
Originally Posted by Locke
Well it's not simple, there are many varying factors. But to make it basic?
- Geology
- Planning
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I'm no engineer, and I'm sure there are a lot of factors that would make a train line more/less expensive, but I get the sense that we also sometimes go a little overboard with the size of our infrastructure. We tend to super-size a lot of things. Ie, when I look at Stoney Trail, in many places you have massive median gaps that you could land a fleet of A320's in, or interchanges/curves that just seems to go on forever (but then the speed limits don't match up). All that additional land, earthworks, concrete, and maintenance etc, can't be particularly cheap. Other countries seem to be able to build high quality roads on a much more efficient footprint... but we seem to always need the F350-sized option.
Getting back to trains...these Green Line station designs aren't that egregious or anything (and the new low-floor design will help), but the European equivalent to many of our suburban LRT stations would be a basic sidewalk with a little grade separation and a basic shelter.
At a stop like Ogden, that's basically what it should be. Just a slightly upgraded bus shelter.