←back to thread

Britain is building one of the world’s most expensive railways

(www.cnn.com)
61 points peutetre | 3 comments | 20 Nov 24 13:51 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source
Show context
looofooo0 ◴[20 Nov 24 14:59 UTC] No.42194458[source]▶
It is really a shame, that the west cannot build cheap infrastructure anymore.
replies(4): >>42194571 #>>42194951 #>>42194952 #>>42195851 #
belorn ◴[20 Nov 24 15:14 UTC] No.42194571[source]▶
Given the high amount of human trafficking that is involved in practically all construction of infrastructure, it is kind of strange how expensive it really is. It seems less and less of the budget is spent on actually construction.
replies(1): >>42194859 #
1. Retric ◴[20 Nov 24 15:40 UTC] No.42194859[source]▶
It’s more that construction is one of the few things that hasn’t benefited significantly from information technology so it looks relatively more expensive.

Farming, retail, energy, manufacturing, etc all got vastly more efficient but land, education, and construction didn’t so what looks like huge price increases is largely inflation. It’s the same reason artisanal goods seem so expensive when that’s how everything used to be made.

replies(1): >>42195223 #
2. lo_zamoyski ◴[20 Nov 24 16:05 UTC] No.42195223[source]▶
Look at earnings vs. housing costs, controlling for location and size. That ratio has not remained fixed.
replies(1): >>42195472 #
3. Retric ◴[20 Nov 24 16:24 UTC] No.42195472[source]▶
There’s a lot of ways to slice these numbers. A 1,500 square foot house in rural Tennessee has seen a very different shift in prices over the last 50 or 100 years vs a 1,500 square foot apartment in Manhattan over that same time periods.

Similarly, apples to apples job comparisons are difficult. Many modern jobs are quite different. An Amazon warehouse worker works a lot harder than would be typical for a random warehouse worker in 2000.