President Joe Biden, arguably the nation’s biggest Amtrak fan, visited a train maintenance shop in his home state of Delaware on Monday to showcase more than $16 billion in federal investments for rail travel along the busy Northeast Corridor, saying of long-delayed improvements, “we’re finally getting it done.”
Quick Read
- President Joe Biden, a self-proclaimed Amtrak enthusiast, visited a train maintenance facility in Delaware to emphasize over $16 billion in federal investments for the Northeast Corridor rail system.
- Biden spoke passionately about enhancing the rail network between Boston and Washington, insisting the U.S. should have the world’s premier rail system.
- The investments aim to modernize rail travel, reduce road traffic, and potentially cut fossil fuel usage, improving the environment and quality of life.
- The Northeast Corridor, where Amtrak operates approximately 800,000 trips daily, is the United States’ most heavily used rail route.
- Biden’s announcement took place in Bear, Delaware, and was infused with personal significance due to his ties to both Amtrak and his home state.
- Funding for these rail improvements is part of the bipartisan infrastructure law signed nearly two years prior, from which Amtrak will receive around $66 billion.
- The president stressed the importance of these rail upgrades, which he has long advocated, as part of his infrastructure-focused reelection campaign.
- Amidst global tensions, particularly in the Gaza Strip, Biden’s visit served as a respite and a chance to underscore one of his legislative triumphs.
- Biden critiqued the “Make America Great Again” faction for their desire to cut Amtrak’s budget, contrasting it with his goal to improve train travel.
- In a lighter moment, Biden joked with Amtrak workers about the influx of funding and the expected arrival of new trains, showcasing his connection with the company and the infrastructure project.
- The visit was also a nostalgic nod to Biden’s decades of Amtrak use, having commuted by train during his Senate tenure, where he accumulated over a million miles of travel. He shared his intimate knowledge of the rail system’s needs, from addressing tunnel leaks to remedying slow zones.
The Associated Press has the story:
Biden visits Delaware, promotes $16B for passenger rail projects
Newslooks- BEAR, Del. (AP)
President Joe Biden, arguably the nation’s biggest Amtrak fan, visited a train maintenance shop in his home state of Delaware on Monday to showcase more than $16 billion in federal investments for rail travel along the busy Northeast Corridor, saying of long-delayed improvements, “we’re finally getting it done.”
The president highlighted spending to modernize 25 passenger train projects between Boston and Washington at an event in Bear, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) from Biden’s home in Wilmington.
“Why, in the United States of America, do we not have the best rail system in the world?” Biden asked. Noting that better train service in some of America’s busiest locales would help ease car traffic and potentially reduce fossil fuel use, he added, “There’s so much more we can do to better the environment and quality of life.”
Amtrak runs about 800,000 trips daily on its Northeast Corridor, the White House says, which makes it the nation’s busiest rail corridor. Monday’s event combined two things close to Biden’s heart: Amtrak and Delaware.
“It’s good to be home,” he declared. “There’s no better place to make this announcement than in my home state.”
The funding for the rail improvements comes from the roughly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law that Biden signed nearly two years ago, one of several legislative achievements he’s trumpeting in a presidential race that could feature a rematch against former President Donald Trump. From the law, Amtrak will get about $66 billion in new investments, according to the White House.
“I’ve been talking about this for a long time, I know,” Biden said of rail improvements. “Finally, finally we’re getting it done.”
The president’s trip was a brief break from dealing with problems around the globe, especially in the Gaza Strip, where the Palestinian death toll from Israel’s war with Hamas surpassed 10,000, according to the region’s Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Biden, who has made infrastructure spending a centerpiece of his reelection campaign, used his speech to criticize Republican backers of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement for wanting to “slash” Amtrak’s budget.
“We’re trying to make train travel easier, faster, safer, more reliable,” he said. “They’re trying to make it slower, harder and less safe.”
Before his formal remarks, a beaming Biden chatted and laughed with Amtrak maintenance shop workers. He asked one how she was doing and when the reply came, “Good, how are you?” Biden responded, “Well, I got about $16 billion for you,” drawing laughs.
He told another of the coming public works spending, “You know you’re going to be getting a lot of new trains, man.” A blue and white sign along the tracks read “Northeast Corridor Improvement” and “Project founded by President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law”
During his 36 years as a senator, Biden traveled back and forth from Wilmington to Washington daily. The president says he’s logged more than 1 million miles on Amtrak during his public service career, and displayed firsthand knowledge of the route on Monday.
Speaking about a key rail tunnel in Baltimore, Biden said it was a “major checkpoint, but it’s also a major choke point.” He talked about leaks there that can cause delays, as well as sharp curves elsewhere that force crowded trains to slow way down.
“You don’t need to tell me,” Biden said of frequent train delays. “I lived it.”
