The Northwest Pacific Railroad (NWP) has an existing track that now has a running freight railroad. The refurbishment effort for freight to FRA Class 3(?) standard was less than $70 million. Why does SMART (Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit) have to spend over $400 Million to make the same track suitable for passenger traffic? SMART spent about $70 million for passenger cars, and needs to spend another $300 million before they roll a passenger car. Do federal or FRA regulations force the expenditure of huge amounts of money to enable passenger traffic? Or is it a desire by the SMART board to make a 'beautiful' railroad instead of a functional one?
If they required an immediate passenger railroad, could they put in a sidewalk about 3 feet away from the tracks at each each stop, put some step stools out, and tolerate a 3 minute boarding time (or less). Add ramps for handicapped access and call it good until more money is available.
I'm hoping someone in this knowledgeable railroad forum can enlighten me on why there is this huge monetary difference between freight needs and passenger needs.