Tram Time & Budget
(in progress - will add more references soon)
   Forecast Actual Difference
Ridership      
cost $9 million (or $3-5 million, take your choice) $57 million 533% OVER construction budget
operating costs $480,000 $1.7 million 250% OVER operating budget
opening date      

Construction

Operating

Date/link

Quote from article (we added most of the bold)
       
$3 million to $5 million   June 15, 1998 "The tram would link that center with the main campus, OHSU Vice President Jim Walker said. Early estimates put tram costs at $3 million to $5 million."
$12 million to $14 million   December 8, 2000 "Who would pay for the estimated $12 million to $14 million project is not clear. Consultant Gordon Davis said that OHSU would have to raise the money."
$14 million to $18 million   January 12, 2001 "The idea for the estimated $14 million to $18 million tramway came out of university planning for a master plan to guide growth for several years. It was presented to the North Macadam Steering Committee in 1997"
  $500,000 to
$1 million		 February 1, 2001 "After installation, a tram's yearly estimated operating cost, in the range of $500,000 to $1 million"
$9 million $480,000 March 1, 2001 Gordon Davis, a consultant to the university working with engineers on a preliminary study, said estimates show $9 million for design and construction -- compared to a $14 million to $18 million range previously guessed -- and $480,000 a year for operation.
  $600,000 March 7, 2001 Preliminary engineering work shows project costs of about $9 million for design, construction and putting utility lines underground, and operating costs of about $600,000 a year. The numbers total several million dollars less than earlier estimates.
$16 million   July 10, 2002 "It's too expensive," Commissioner Jim Francesconi, who oversees transportation, said about Howell's tunnel idea...The office guesses that it would cost between $50 and $80 million to build --... -- compared with about $16 million for a tram.
$9.5-$10.5 million minimum   July 21, 2002 "Zidell points out that even if the tram's cost goes well beyond the $9.5-$10.5 million minimum needed to build it, that's just a fraction of the money going into redeveloping North Macadam."
$17 million   January 4, 2003 "With a preliminary budget of $17 million for the project, PATI is asking the firms to design, the tram, towers and stations as well as a pedestrian bridge "
$15.5 million   March 13, 2003 "But decisions about how the $15.5 million project will be financed and who will operate it are open."
$24 million - $30.2 million   November 15, 2003 "Figures issued Friday suggest that the tram...could cost between $24 million and $30.2 million, far exceeding the original budget of $15.5 million."
$40 million   April 29, 2005 "The City Council also approves improvement projects for neighborhoods in the tram's path....A unanimous Portland City Council gave the final green light on Thursday to a $40 million aerial tram"
$45 million   October 22, 2005 "SUMMARY: South Waterfront The aerial tram might now cost Portland $45 million, nearly triple the estimate from 2003"
may be "closer to $60 million."   January 12, 2006 "It's a dream of ours," Leonard recalls Kohler saying. "It's something we believe in."..."the final cost may be 'closer to $60 million.'"
$45 million   January 13, 2006 "Portland Commissioners want to know why city staff knowingly relied on flawed estimates, which have tripled"
$55 million   February 2, 2006 "The aerial tram's cost to link Pill Hill to South Waterfront has more than tripled in three years to $55 million"
.She didn't consider it her job to watch the budge   March 16, 2006 "then-Mayor Vera Katz pushed for a postcard-pretty design to bind the city's largest employer to its newest neighborhood....She didn't consider it her job to watch the budget. Unfortunately, no one else at City Hall did either."
$57.6 million   April 7, 2006 "He now says he'll back a tentative $57.6 million funding plan that calls for the city to more than double its contribution. Under the proposal, the city's share would rise from $3.5 million to $8.5 million."
$57 million $1.7 million Jan 9, 2007 "According to Adams, since the recommendations were accepted, the construction budget increased from $28 million to $57 million and the annual operating budget grew from $915,000 to $1.7 million. (Math: $1.7e6/365 = $4657 per DAY)"