MVMI - Costs

Maryland Virginia Monorail Initiative

Updated:

2001-09-03

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COSTS

            WHY  NOT  ELEVATED  MONORAIL  NOW ?         Sept 2, 2001

               COMPARISON             MetroRail           MonoRail
            Construction $/mile     100-150 million     25-30 million
            Construction time       10-15 years         2-3 years
            Subsidy $/station/yr    1 million           None
            Right-of-way cost       High                Low
            Station size            8 car lengths       1 or 2 cars
            Insert new station      Very high cost      Easy
            Maximum speed, mph      60                  70 (200 Express)
            Environmental damage    Severe              Minimal
            Energy usage            High                Low
            Platform safety         Poor                High
            Platform comfort        Poor                High
            Manpower                High                Low
            Operating hours         6 am - 2 am         24 hr/7 day
            Rider's view            Dismal              Interesting

         CONSTRUCTION  COST  COMPARISONS :  
                                            MetroRail       MonoRail
     Capital Beltway Rail 
       (Purple Line, 60 miles)             $ 6 bil.        $ 1.8 bil.

     Dulles Access Rail, 22 miles          $ 2.2 bil.      $ 660 mil

     Vienna - Centreville Line             $ 800 mil.      $ 240 mil.

     Springfield Transit Center
       to Fort Belvoir                     $ 640 mil       $ 180 mil

     Fort Belvoir-Potomac Mills Mall       $ 700 mil       $ 240 mil
     Alexandria - Pentagon                 $ 330 mil       $ 100 mil
     Dunn Loring-Tysons-Amer Leg Brg       $ 740 mil       $ 150 mil
     Tysons - Baileys Crossroads           $ 325 mil       $ 100 mil
     Baileys Crossroads - Pentagon         $ 325 mil       $ 100 mil

         OTHER  PROPOSED  ROUTES

     Rosslyn Metro - Fairfax (Rte 50)       12 miles       $ 360 mil  
     Huntington - Woodbridge (Rte 1)        15 miles       $ 450 mil
     Alexandria-Tysons-Leesburg (Rte 7)     33 miles       $ 990 mil 
     Nat Apt-Pentagon-Annandale (Col. Pike) 10 miles       $ 300 mil

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