What is the most expensive rail project in the world?
As of February 2022, the most expensive rail infrastructure project was the High Speed 2 Rail Link (HS2) in the United Kingdom with a project value of 86 billion U.S. dollars.
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However, building infrastructure in the U.S., especially subways, is very expensive. This CNBC report shows that building subways in the U.S. is more expensive than in most countries because of high labor costs, overbuilt tracks and stations, and onerous regulations.
Looking at New York City's Second Avenue Subway project, the research team identified three primary factors that affect project costs: physical structures, labor, and procurement and soft costs.
The Current California High Speed rail project is projected to cost 68 - 99 billion dollars for the 520 mile segment, this is roughly 130 million to 190 million dollars per mile. High costs are largely why the project will never make it past the Central Valley. European Countries do it for a fraction of the price.
Highways (as well as aviation) became the focus of infrastructure spending, at the expense of rail. This trend has continued, and not the least because highways require continuous maintenance, while the US's growing population demands more lanes and roads to relieve congestion.
On Amtrak's worst routes, the Capitol Limited and Sunset Limited, trains reach their destination on time a measly 28% of the time. These are the lines where operation costs significantly outweigh ticket revenue for Amtrak, hindering its profitability.
That works out to $200 million a mile for hilly areas. At these costs, Obama's original high-?speed rail plan would require well over $1 trillion, while the USHSR's plan would need well over $3 trillion. Building a system longer than China's would cost at least $4 trillion.