How car-loving American cities fell so far behind their global peers on public transit

T he only train station in Houston , the US ’s fourth-largest city and one of the fastest-growing conurbations in the country, is a diminished, morose sight. Intercity trains arrive at this squat, shed-like Amtrak building, which cringes in the shadows of roaring highways, just three times a week. That such a meager train station could ostensibly serve a metropolitan area of about 7 million people is a stark symbol of how the sprawling, car-dominated US has fallen behind cities around the world where people can rely on extensive, high-quality public transport to get around. The gap is now so large that for major American cities to bring their public transit up to “world-class” status, it would cost an enormous $4.6tn, involving 7,500 miles of new dedicated infrastructure for trains and buses, over the next 20 years, a recent report found. American cities languish badly compared with global leaders such as Sydney, Hong Kong and Barcelona, based on the number of transit vehicles per 100,000 residents, according to the Transportation for America study . How people get around matters in terms of convenience, but also human and planetary health. Globally, transportation accounts for about a third of all planet-heating emissions , with the sector’s emissions doubling since 1990 amid a growing thirst for oil to power more cars, planes and ships. …