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One word: cars. No other explanation needed. Car culture and car manufacturers' interests play a big part in the current inadequacy (by western standards) of the US infrastructure.

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Two words: population density

Tokyo is crammed and that's why trains work great over there. They wouldn't work in US city with suburban sprawl.

suburban sprawl is arguably a result of the obsession with cars

The city I live in is in suburban sprawl mode right now. The main reason is apartments in city cost a fortune if you want reasonable amount of space. For family or hobbies or whatever. 1 bedroom apartment close to city centre == 2 bedroom apartment within city limits == 3-4 bedroom house with proper backyard and garage and everything just outside city limits.

this. A lot of Berlin's public transport infrastructure (a city that definitively sprawls in the suburb, compared to other EU capitals) was built in the late 1800/early 1900. Check density stats for Berlin.

If "population density" was really the dominant reason, then New Jersey would have a public transportation system far better than most countries in Europe.

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