I'd say the main reason is that Europe has been doing it longer and they don't outsource. In Europe the biggest suppliers of public transportation vehicles and

I'd say the main reason is that Europe has been doing it longer and they don't outsource. In Europe the biggest suppliers of public transportation vehicles and equipment are Siemens (Germany), Alstom (France), Solaris (Poland), Hitachi Rail and Iveco (Italy), CAF (Spain). Each of these companies export products worldwide, and they have mature supply chains with the majority of parts sourced from Europe. Plus Europe just has a lot more demand, meaning more experience in how to do it right. In the US there are maybe 25 cities with trams or light rail, in Europe there are over 300.