The $3bn subway station - and other urban white elephants
(The Guardian Germany)

From Alaska´s `bridge to nowhere´ to Pyongyang´s Hotel of Doom, via a EUR1bn arts centre that leaks, here are the world´s most high-profile wastes of capitalHow much should one subway station cost? The city of Toronto has an answer. The plan to extend transit in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough winds back at least a decade: at one time the plan was a seven-stop light-rail line; later a three-stop subway. Today, Scarborough is preparing to replace its six-stop automated train with just one single, solitary subway station, for a mere C$3bn (£1.8bn).Is that a wise investment? Time will tell, but in a recently unearthed 2013 assessment the transport agency Metrolinx calls it `not a worthwhile use of money`. Many voters in Scarborough feel differently, and Toronto´s mayor, John Tory, has no plans to change course. Continue reading...