Public transit infrastructure receives ‘D’ grade in ASCE 2025 report card

The U.S.’s public transit infrastructure received a ‘D’ grade in the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. The rail category, which includes freight and passenger rail, declined to a grade of ‘B-’ due to safety concerns and capacity constraints.  

Now in its eighth iteration, ASCE’s Report for America’s Infrastructure uses an ‘A’ to ‘F’ school report card form to evaluate 18 different categories of current infrastructure conditions and needs. The U.S.’s overall infrastructure received a ‘C’ grade, the highest grade given by ASCE since it began its report card in 1998. 

While the transit category tied with stormwater for the lowest grade, transit’s rating did go up from the last report in 2021 when it received a ‘D-’ grade. ASCE cited increased funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) “helped bring transit investment to the forefront,” according to Carol Haddock, vice chair for ASCE’s Committee on America's Infrastructure. 

“IIJA did provide a lot of new funding for transit agencies that helped a lot of transit agencies stay afloat, especially with less ridership after the pandemic. There is some state funding of course that's happening in different individual states, but for the nation overall, IIJA really provided a big boost,” Haddock said during a media briefing on the report card.  

Despite this added investment, ASCE is projecting a $152 billion funding gap between 2024 and 2033. This is partially due to the fact that public transit continues to deal with rising costs and added sustainability and resiliency needs, coupled with decreased ridership and a lack of operational support, according to Kristina Swallow, past president of ASCE and assistant city manager of Tuscon, Ariz. 

“Federal funding has been allocated, and states and localities have approved measures to expand transit but doubts remain around viable financing options, rise of cost, lack of support for operations and the impact of work from home jobs continue to challenge transit systems nationwide,” Swallow said during the media briefing. “Sustained investments and increased collaboration are key to supporting America's transit system, in turn, supporting jobs, the environment and economic prosperity.” 

ASCE provided the following recommendations to help transit raise its grade:      

• Support reliable, long-term funding with added flexibility to be able to use funds for operations, maintenance, state-of-good-repair and planning across all asset classes.  
• Invest in multimodal connectivity and alternative transportation such as bikeshare and micromobility while optimizing regional and interagency connectivity.  
• Continue initiatives addressing workforce and staffing needs with training programs and community outreach.  
• Prioritize addressing state-of-good-repair needs through good asset management practices and maximize available funds to improve the overall condition of transit systems.  
• Fund sustainability, resiliency and risk mitigation initiatives to help proactively address impacts from climate change and the economy.  
• Embrace collaboration between local and regional transportation organizations to plan for sustained capital improvements, operations and maintenance.   
• Leverage emerging technologies to help improve service, increase operational efficiencies and improve safety.  

“The ASCE 2025 Infrastructure Report Card confirms both the progress we have made and the urgent need to continue investing in America’s public transportation systems,” said American Public Transportation Association (APTA) President and CEO Paul Skoutelas in a statement responding to the report card. “Needed, predictable federal funding for tomorrow’s transit must continue, or we risk falling backwards. ASCE estimates a $152 billion funding gap for the nation’s public transit systems. APTA and its more than 1,600 member organizations urge Congress to support full investment in the final year of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and to begin work on robust funding in the next Surface Transportation Authorization Act to ensure America’s economic success.” 

See transit’s full report card. To explore passenger rail’s report card, which primarily focuses on Amtrak services and operations, visit ASCE's website. 

Want to explore the other categories in the report card? Check out these articles from Mass Transit's sister publications.