US public transport system substandard due to political divide: report

NEW YORK -- The United States is the world's richest country, but its public transport system is not world-leading and even substandard due to the deepening political divide in the country, a US website focusing on railway industry has reported.

"The political debate in the United States ... has become a highly divided one in recent years and a divided political arena does not make it easy to pass legislation that is for the common good," the Railway Technology reported.

An annual report conducted by the American Society of Civil Engineers last year showed that 45 percent of Americans have no access to transit and most of the existing systems are ageing and dilapidated, it said.

The report said there is an investment backlog of 176 billion US dollars, which was expected to grow to 270 billion dollars in 2029.