Study of subway station design and construction : O'Neil, R S; Worrell, J S; Hopkinson, P Washington, DC: De Leuw, Cather and Co report, March 1977, 208P

Abstract

Due to the high cost of urban underground transit construction in recent years, construction practices used in other countries were reviewed to determine if construction methods which are commonly accepted there might be adapted to U.S. practice. Design and administrative practices were also reviewed to determine which have the most significant effect on station costs to assure that future system developers are aware of the items that offer the greatest opportunities to control costs. Using 13 on-site interviews in Europe and North America, unusual construction methods, design considerations, and general considerations which offer opportunities for cost savings were identified. Two basic points for reducing costs were emphasized repeatedly by those interviewed: the basic recommendation for obtaining economy in station design and construction is to take advantage of every opportunity which the locale and site offer; and while final design and construction practices are the most visible sources of expenditure, it is almost universally the early policy, planning, and design decisions which have the greatest effect on the final cost of a transit project. With the experience and opinions of the many transit authorities and construction agencies and a review of current literature as a base, a set of seven recommended subway station designs were developed. To examine costs, three series of estimates were performed comparing the station types among themselves, comparing the costs of varying major station dimensions, and comparing costs of alternative construction methods, such as slurry walls and other excavation support systems which performed multiple functions.