Worldwide investments in light-rail & metro rail projects 2019-2025

According to a McKinsey report, out of global projects worth over 1.4 trillion U.S. dollars currently at various planning and execution phases, Asia is investing the most in its future light-rail and metro systems, at 920 billion U.S. dollars. The Middle East and Europe are set to invest between 135 and 145 billion U.S. dollars, respectively, in their light-rail infrastructures, while Latin America and Africa plan to invest under 100 billion U.S. dollars over the next five years.

China on track despite Covid-19

An increase in light-rail and metro ridership across the Asia-Pacific region has accompanied growing city congestion and population rates – particularly in China. In response to this trend, China plans to invest some 2.2. trillion yuan in its express and urban railway infrastructure by 2025 and has furthermore reported progress made in both investments and the overall expansion of its national rail infrastructure. The move comes after China’s transportation sector observed a significant financial deficit in the first quarter of 2020 due to the Covid-19 outbreak. It is estimated that the global pandemic will set the worldwide rail industry back financially by around 35 percent for 2020.

The U.S. remains largely focused on automobiles

The United States trails behind other global regions regarding investment in its light-rail and metro systems – and particularly when it comes to converting commuters from automobile drivers to light-rail passengers on a large scale. U.S. cities in which light-rail ridership is highest include Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Boston, where the number of passenger trips came to around 50 million annually in 2019.