Costs Summary
ATS now have extensive cost data from the London Heathrow project that can be translated into new project costs by removal of the development elements associated with the initial build.
"Cost translation" to local pricing levels then also needs to be factored in as 75% or more by value of each ULTra system will be built locally.
In the context of the above, guidance for typical projected capital costs for a complete new system, with planned first commercial operation in 2012, in the US, range from $7M to $15M (US Dollars) per guideway mile. This price is based on a composite cost derived from a typical anticipated application and includes vehicles, guideway, stations, and control system.
$7M - $15M (£4.5M - £9.5M)
These guide prices are present day prices and do not include cost reduction based on value engineering and economies of scale which are likely to have significant effects for reasonable sized systems.
Bi-directional guideway.
Bi-directional guideway can also be estimated on the basis of one mile of bi-directional guideway is counted as 1.5 - 1.85 miles of one-way guideway. Systems with a high percentage of bi-directional guideway can therefore be more cost effective when compared with purely single guideway estimates, provided the bi-directional guideway offers sufficient area coverage.
Right of way acquisition costs, if there are any, are separate. The use of private equity financing to fund capital costs will tend to raise overall project costs, as such equity demands a high return on investment.
