U.S. rail infrastructure earns B- on ASCE 2025 Report Card

Editor's note: This story has been updated with comments from the Association of American Railroads.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 2025 Report Card that grades U.S. infrastructure gave the rail industry a grade of B-, a downgrade from the B received on the 2021 report card.

The ASCE gave an overall grade of "C" to the nation's infrastructure in 2025, up from the C- received in the previous report card issued in 2021 and the highest grade in the report card's history. ASCE attributed the improvement to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) passed by Congress in 2021, which sparked progress.

At the same time, more work and investment is needed to overcome decades of underinvestment and adapt the country’s transportation networks, water systems, electric grid and broadband services to meet current and future demands, ASCE officials said in a press release.

In grading the nation's rail infrastructure, the ASCE noted that the IIJA authorized $66 billion for rail projects from fiscal-year 2022 to 2026, making vital improvements such as intercity passenger rail service expansion, Amtrak corridor development, and road–rail grade crossing separation possible.

Train safety incidents show a promising long-term trend, down 23% in the 23 years from 2000 to 2023. However, recent incidents like 2023’s derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, raise concerns. The derailment was one of 10,577 incidents that year.

Recent programs and actions implemented by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) can improve the rail network, which calls for a balance between modern advancements in the sector, such as precision-scheduled railroading, and sufficient staffing to ensure public safety, the report card states.

For the rail industry to raise its grade, the ASCE's recommendations include the following:

• Facilitate resilience of the current and future rail network by leveraging long-term partnerships with federal, state and local agencies; freight railroads; and neighboring communities; 

• Ensure passenger and freight projects supported by IIJA are implemented;

• Encourage passenger rail infrastructure investment in high-population centers, particularly focused in the NEC, which will relieve system stress on other modes;

• Enact public-private rail programs to enhance both freight and passenger service for more efficient operations;

• Enact renewed federal legislation addressing railway–highway crossings, hazardous materials, rail car inspections and maintenance, and emergency response; and

• Implement safety technologies on additional wayside monitoring infrastructure to detect defects in rolling stock.

To read the ASCE's report on rail, click here. 

The Association of American Railroads today offered a response to the ASCE 2025 Report Card.

“Sustained, data-backed investments averaging $23 billion annually are a primary reason ASCE noted that rail ‘remains reliable, safe and fuel efficient.’ Railroads’ commitment to maintaining and upgrading the nation’s 140,000 miles of track continues to deliver results with two of the last four years setting new record lows on track caused accidents," said AAR spokeswoman Jessica Kahanek in an email. "Beyond infrastructure safety, railroads continued to drive the overall train accident rate down in 2024 15% year-over-year and 33% since 2005."

To build on that momentum, public and private investments must be prioritized to have the greatest safety impact, Kahanek said.

"Notably, more than 95% of all rail-related fatalities stem from trespassing and grade crossing incidents — tragic and largely preventable events that are all too often the result of risky pedestrian and driver behavior," she said. "Public infrastructure solutions, such as grade separation, are essential to mitigating these risks and saving lives."