Why American Subways Are Some Of The World s Most Expensive

Public transit can be extremely valuable for a citys economy in New York City 85 of the people who travel into the business district below 61st Street take some form of public transportation. In several major cities New York, Boston, Washington, D. C., and San Francisco the subway and other rapid rail systems are key contributors to the prosperity of the city. In NYC for example, more than 37 billion of the Metropolitan Transportation Authoritys 54 billion budget goes to subways. But building subways in the U. S. is very expensive. In fact, its the sixth most expensive country to build rail transit in the world. And even that is likely an understatement. High labor costs, overbuilt tracks and stations, and onerous regulations all jack up costs. NYCs sheer population density makes it rather worth it so many people ride the subway that the cost per rider is comparable to many European cities where total expenditures are substantially lower. However, the high costs hurt the case for public