"More than a year into his second term, the self-described "builder president" hasn't authorized any new subways, elevated rails, monorails or automated light metro, according to a new analysis from the Urban Institute of the Capital Investment Grant program, one the largest sources of federal matching funds for shared modes."
"The Urban Institute found that state and local support for rail projects ebbed to just $7 billion in 2025, down from $16 billion in 2021 - "the lowest level in at least 15 years," author Yonah Freemark wrote."
"Because rail projects are complex, expensive, and require years more intricate planning than bus upgrades, cities and states often can't build them without federal matching, which means that the Trump-era drought is having downstream effects nationwide."
The second Trump administration has not authorized any new subway, elevated rail, monorail, or automated light metro projects under the Capital Investment Grant program, one of the largest federal funding sources for transit. The administration has also clawed back, threatened, or delayed funding for Biden-era transit grants across multiple programs. State and local support for rail projects declined dramatically to $7 billion in 2025 from $16 billion in 2021, marking the lowest level in at least 15 years. This funding drought is creating downstream effects nationwide, as cities and states depend on federal matching funds to finance complex, expensive rail projects that require years of planning. The decline is particularly striking given the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was promoted as the largest federal investment in public transportation in history.
#transit-funding #rail-infrastructure #federal-grants #trump-administration-policy #public-transportation
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