The Decade's Ten Most Expensive Transit Projects

Distressed by terrible traffic congestion, San Juan politicians began pushing for the construction of an urban rail line beginning in 1989; by 1994, the project was approved and work was completed at the end of 2004. The 10.7-mile Tren Urbano was the first rapid transit line ever build in the Caribbean.

At $2.63 billion in 2009 dollars, the project went way over preliminary cost estimates and was a huge drain on the U.S. and Puerto Rican treasuries. And with ridership far below initial estimates, the project hasn’t been the success its project proponents predicted. Part of the problem is that it doesn’t reach the old downtown area. Yet the automated line is a technological marvel to behold.

Image: OficinaDigital