Wednesday, September 3, 2008

And you thought $4B was a lot...

The estimated price tag of $4M for Ottawa's current transit plan looks like peanuts compared with the $55B transit plan that is currently being put forward by the Toronto Transit Commission. According to the afore-linked story in the Globe and Mail, the plan is estimated to run over the course of 25 years, a similar timeline to the transit plan in Ottawa. It is also, apparently, a relatively conservative idea when compared to other plans, including one concept that could have $90B.

Granted, the plan does include funding for "Express GO Transit rail service from downtown Toronto to Hamilton, Oshawa, Brampton, Richmond Hill and Mississauga, running every 15 minutes, all day, in both directions". If Ottawa's plan were amended to include rail from Kanata, Barrhaven, Orleans, and possibly other suburbs the price tag would certainly rise, but $55B?

Best comment on the story comes from RD Lone of Vancouver:
"They should just make a series of long conveyer belts along Eglinton like in the Jetsons. I bet it would cost less than $50 billion."

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