Operating and Maintenance Costs for Rail Rapid Transit

The prediction of operating and maintenance costs for rail rapid transit systems is treated from two different approaches. A detailed model for estimating those operating and maintenance costs associated with vehicle operation was developed as part of a procedure to optimize rapid transit car design. The model involves the use of many underlying microscopic variables that must be provided as input data. For the early stages of alternative planning and evaluation, a more macroscopic technique, unit cost modeling, is presented and calibrated. While less precise than the first technique, these models can be used to provide quick order of magnitude estimates upon which first-cut comparisons may be reasonably based. The relationship between labor productivity indices and unit costs is also explored, although data did not permit a complete treatment of this area.