Canada

Canadian officials have reacted to cost increases [due to consulting fees, poor design/construction practices] by shrinking transit projects to make them cheaper, rather than by tackling the reasons for price inflation. “If construction costs can be meaningfully reduced, more ambitious projects with greater benefit and larger scope can be built at lower costs,”

This seems like a common problem with Canadian politicians: rather than addressing problems and working towards a long term vision, sweep the problem under the rug.

There’s also been so little transit built in the last generation in Canada that governments have lost the knowledge needed to oversee a project, even one built by the private sector.

This one is huge. Instead of constantly building new lines as we do with roads, we have massive one-offs.

And then the article talks about public-private-partnerships (P3s).