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The amazing tunnels under New York

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hiraethified
Huge tunnels are being built under New York for the extension of the Long Island Rail Road and they look amazing:

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More: http://gizmodo.com/5985618/incredible-images-of-the-new-massive-tunnels-hollowing-new-york-city
 
Interesting thread

".......A huge public works project ............ the cost estimate has been raised to $8.4 billion"

so in the land of private enterprise they're not afraid to spend a few $$$ on infrastructure then?
 
Interesting thread

".......A huge public works project ............ the cost estimate has been raised to $8.4 billion"

so in the land of private enterprise they're not afraid to spend a few $$$ on infrastructure then?

From what I remember, many US public infrastructure projects are financed by a semi-detached bonds-based method that can prove pretty cost (or tax) effective for coroprate interests, banks etc who are often represented on the boards of the comissioning authorities. And NY more or less wrote the book on using and running them back in the Robert Moses days.
 
From what I remember, many US public infrastructure projects are financed by a semi-detached bonds-based method that can prove pretty cost (or tax) effective for coroprate interests, banks etc who are often represented on the boards of the comissioning authorities. And NY more or less wrote the book on using and running them back in the Robert Moses days.
Yep. Ken tried to use a similar scheme for the Underground modernisation, bringing in Bob Kiley (former CEO of Newy York's Metropolitan Transit Authority) to plan it. But Gordon Brown forced PPP through instead, and the rest is history. £Billions in public money wasted.

The New York project is impressive, but Crossrail is 3x the cost and complexity.

Although this new station will be a monster. 164k/day is 50-60m/year, which is Liverpool St. or Victoria numbers, but underground. 8 platforms in two giant caverns:

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You can see the four tunnel mouths per station cavern in the photos in the OP.
 
Not sure if they're as impressive as our very own Crossrail ones, but still mighty grand:

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More here: http://www.theverge.com/2015/11/5/9677300/manhattan-train-tunnel-project-grand-central-lirr-access

One hundred and fifty feet below the streets of midtown Manhattan, hundreds of construction workers are toiling away at America’s largest and most expensive transportation project. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s $10.2 billion East Side Access connects Grand Central Station to the Long Island Rail Road, the busiest commuter rail system in the country, via a new 6-mile-long tunnel. When finished, it’s expected to serve 162,000 commuters every day. But don’t hold your breath: that won’t happen until December 2022.
 
While the tunnels aren't as long as Crossrail, the station they're building down there is colossal. The tunnelling looks much easier though. Just hacking through self-supporting rock. No need to prop/line as you go.
 
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