Rail electrification costs from Alan Drake

Just copying info received, for reference.

Message 1:

New Haven to Boston (AMtrak > Gov't contracting) electrified @ 2000 at $2.3 million/mile for mainly double track, some triple track. Populated almost all the way and very curvy (route along CN shore for much of way), both of which add costs ($200,000/mile for flagging !!)

I use $2 million/mile for single track and $2.5 million for double track with "round up" for large projects.

Combining electrification with HV transmission should reduce costs for both (certain % common towers).

Russia electrifies at $700,000 to $900,000/km (double track). Fewer people but extreme remoteness and extreme climate do add costs. No EIS required#

# Sierra Club is supportive of modified/simplified EIS for rail electrification, recognizing that rail ROW is already heavily impacted.

Message 2:

I stored this data (but forgot to mark where from, something I now do).

Russian Federal Railways) approximately $750,000 - 800,000 per kilometer to put a two-track line under AC wire (25kV, 50Hz).

the New Haven-Boston electrification cost about USD2.3m per route-mile (double track ie approximately USD0.7m per track-km) for "plain" track (no movable bridges, etc), broken down approximately as follows:

Design: $190,000
TPS--substations (@ $5/unit): $125,000
TPS--auto-transformers ($1.5/unit): $9,500
OCS @ $640,000/track mile: $1280,000
Signal Compatability/SCADA: $140,000
Flagging Protection: $200,000 [Outrageous]
Property Acquisitions: $30,000
Project Management: $90,000

Design/Build Cost Total: $2.3 million per route mile.

[OCS = "Overhead Contact System" = Catenary wires and supports.
"TPS" = "Traction Power System" = 4 25hv 60hz 80mvA substations and 21 autotransformers for a total of 360 track miles, 157 route-miles]
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Double track requires two OCS/track mile @ $640,000/mile. Single track one. The rest is about the same. Maybe less design and project management costs.

Again, gov't contracting costs.  ¶ 2/19/2011 11:44:00 PM