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APPENDIX C
Supplementary As-Built
Cost Analysis
This appendix summarizes additional analysis of historical capital costs performed to support
TCRP Project G-10. This appendix describes how the historical data was prepared and analyzed
for cost relationships between soft costs and other project characteristics.
C.1. Data Preparation and Standardization
This analysis used actual historical capital cost data from two FTA Capital Cost Databases for
light and heavy rail, respectively. This analysis took several steps to standardize and prepare the
data in both databases for an accurate comparison. Most capital cost categories in the two data
structures are similar, with minor exceptions. For example, vehicle costs are separated as their
own category in both systems, although presented in a different numbering category sequence.
Otherwise, the full capital costs to complete each project are represented in each dataset and these
results are reflected in the analysis.
C.2. Adjustments Addressing Different
Cost Categorization
This analysis combines light and heavy rail transit project capital cost databases using slightly
different categorization structures for each mode. To correct for small variations in reporting
protocols, the following modifications were made.
· Project Initiation: Cost category 8.07 in the heavy rail database, Project Initiation, contains two
sub-items for Mobilization and Maintenance of Traffic which are reported under 8.00 Soft
Costs. The light rail dataset includes these items as SCC 40.073 and 40.074 under 40.000 Site-
work and Special Conditions. To ensure comparability, the two heavy rail cost components
were reclassified as an element of 40.073 and 40.074 of the Special Conditions category.
· Planning and Feasibility Costs: Only a few projects reported these costs. This is for work that
is typically carried out early in the initial phase of a transit project's development lifecycle. These
efforts are conducted prior to entry into the FTA New Starts Program and have been inconsis-
tently documented at the project level. Therefore, FTA has eliminated these early efforts from
the SCC structure. Transit agencies might assign these costs to general planning activities or
other grants rather than a specific project budget, and FTA's current SCC worksheet excludes
planning costs incurred prior to FTA approval to enter preliminary engineering. To ensure com-
parability, this cost category (8.01 for heavy rail and 80.090 for light rail) was omitted entirely.
· Unallocated Contingency: The light rail dataset reports Category 90, Unallocated Contin-
gency. However, since costs are final as-built expenditures, unallocated contingency is zero
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