UMTA Could Take Steps To Reduce Costs in the Development of Light Rail Projects
B-211567
Published: Apr 26, 1983. Publicly Released: Apr 26, 1983.
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Highlights
GAO conducted a review of the development of the Pittsburgh light rail system to identify what actions were taken to hold down the costs of the system and to ensure that the most effective use is being made of Federal funds.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Urban Mass Transportation Administration | UMTA should have the Pittsburgh light rail stations not yet under construction value engineered as soon as possible so that any potential savings could still be realized. |
Closed – Not Implemented
The Department of Transportation has not acted quickly enough to achieve the full benefits that might result from value engineering the light rail stations identified in the report.
|
| Urban Mass Transportation Administration | UMTA should provide guidance on the level of usage needed to justify the selection of high-level platforms when ridership is the only criterion affecting the decision. |
Closed – Not Implemented
The Department of Transportation does not intend to implement this recommendation because it believes that high-level platform decisions are more appropriately made at the local levels.
|
| Urban Mass Transportation Administration | UMTA should review and question ridership projections used by transit systems as the basis for selecting various options in designing new rail systems. |
Closed – Implemented
The Department of Transportation agreed with this recommendation but has not taken all steps to implement it. GAO will examine the actions taken in preparation for the capping report on mass transit.
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Topics
Construction costsCost controlGrant administrationMass transitProjectionsSystems designUrban planningUrban transportationValue engineeringLight rail transit