In the United States it costs roughly $609 million to build a kilometer of rail. In Canada it costs only $295 million and in Portugal, $96 million. Because of regulations and the lack of cost-effective production, a basic elevator in New York City costs about four times as much as that same elevator in Switzerland.
Progressives proved especially effective at blocking new home construction. A study in California found that as the share of liberal votes rises by 10 points in a given city, the number of housing permits issued declines by 30 percent. In San Francisco, according to one 2023 state report, it took 523 days on average to get clearance to construct new housing and then 605 days to get building permits, if your project wasn’t killed in the meantime by lawsuits and citizen action.
Source: David Brooks
I don’t know how true it is but I’ve read that with respect to light rail and high-speed rail, the transit systems are so devoid of experienced talent that they hire consultants for every step of the way. So, instead of paying salaries of $100,000 a year they’re paying $1 million. Consultants also pad their bills with make-work such that consulting fees far exceed salaries.