Toronto's getting new streetcars (electric trolleys) in the next few years. 240 of 'em. Our current fleet is approx. 25 years old and nearing the end of its useful life. The cost for each new car? Three million dollars.
Now, I'm not an engineer, but I do know my way around mechanical things and know how shit gets built (bit of an interest, dad was a tool and die engineer, etc etc) and I don't think a streetcar is worth $3 mil.
Buses, diesel ones, of comparable size and lifespan cost roughly $350,000. Yes, there's a fairly straightforward set up to them, and diesel motors are readily built and repaired, etc. Streetcars have electric motors which are likely quite specialized and pricey (with limited sales potential, etc) but it just seems out-of-whack that one form of conveyance could cost such an order of magnitude more than another that's so similar.
Now, I'm sure you could argue that one has specialized controls, and pricey rolling stock compared to standard-issue tires, but couldn't you get your head around that with a figure that's maybe two or three times as costly, not fucking ten times as costly? There's no real magic dust involved in their manufacture that could possible push the price to that height, is there? I mean, for all intents and purposes, it's a great big toy electric train.
I'm wondering this: this is a government contract, and we generally know how those work. First, there's bound to be a massive profit margin involved, and it would be guaranteed and ensured six different ways to Sunday, otherwise no one would bid on the job.
Second, my bet is that this is such a specialty product that the price includes such things as building the factory, buying equipment, hiring people, actually building the things, and then the cost to package everyone off when it's all over and shutter the plant. That's all that I can imagine would drive the price so high.
Does anyone among us know anything about this sort of thing? Am I close or way off the mark?
Now, I'm not an engineer, but I do know my way around mechanical things and know how shit gets built (bit of an interest, dad was a tool and die engineer, etc etc) and I don't think a streetcar is worth $3 mil.
Buses, diesel ones, of comparable size and lifespan cost roughly $350,000. Yes, there's a fairly straightforward set up to them, and diesel motors are readily built and repaired, etc. Streetcars have electric motors which are likely quite specialized and pricey (with limited sales potential, etc) but it just seems out-of-whack that one form of conveyance could cost such an order of magnitude more than another that's so similar.
Now, I'm sure you could argue that one has specialized controls, and pricey rolling stock compared to standard-issue tires, but couldn't you get your head around that with a figure that's maybe two or three times as costly, not fucking ten times as costly? There's no real magic dust involved in their manufacture that could possible push the price to that height, is there? I mean, for all intents and purposes, it's a great big toy electric train.
I'm wondering this: this is a government contract, and we generally know how those work. First, there's bound to be a massive profit margin involved, and it would be guaranteed and ensured six different ways to Sunday, otherwise no one would bid on the job.
Second, my bet is that this is such a specialty product that the price includes such things as building the factory, buying equipment, hiring people, actually building the things, and then the cost to package everyone off when it's all over and shutter the plant. That's all that I can imagine would drive the price so high.
Does anyone among us know anything about this sort of thing? Am I close or way off the mark?
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