Amtrak Joe

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

During Joe Biden's thirty-six long years as a US Senator he traveled from his home in Wilmington, Delaware, to his workplace in Washington, DC, (and back) almost daily on the Amtrak train system.  Of course, "daily" for a US senator is usually three days a week and only during the times that the senate is in session.  Still, Joe estimates that while serving as a senator, he logged over a million Amtrak miles.

Biden made those "daily" trips on Amtrak's busiest section of rail, a system of many terminals, lines, and trains that is commonly referred  as the "Northeast Corridor."  During his campaign for the presidency in 2020, Joe Biden promoted an increase in funding for public infrastructure, and often cited Amtrak as a program which would benefit from his presidency.  

Now, almost three full years into his presidency, some of that promised funding for Amtrak appears to suddenly be shaking loose.  Yesterday at an event at an Amtrak warehouse in Bear, Delaware, twelve miles from Biden's hometown of Wilmington, he announced a commitment of $16 billion for twenty-five major improvements along the Northeast Corridor.

Biden, who appeared to be close to jubilant as he finally was able to announce an upgrade to the nation's passenger rail service, and especially in Delaware.  "It's good to be home," he said.   "There's no better place to be able to make this announcement than in my home state."  He added, "I've been talking about this for a long time, I know.  Finally, finally we're getting it done."

Yes, Joe.  You're getting it done in Delaware, and in the Northeast Corridor - and that's fine because it is a very heavily traveled section of the country's rail service.   But Republicans, as you also said yesterday, do not support public passenger rail service and are, as you put it, "trying to make it slower, harder, and less safe."

If, on the off chance, Republicans retake control of government next year, it would be nice to have some of your infrastructure rail money committed to other parts of the country as well.  Get out and ride some of the other Amtrak routes, Joe, and see the Great Midwest through the big windows of a passenger train, or watch the Columbia River flow toward the Pacific from the windows of a club car.  Take a ride down the West Coast from Seattle to Los Angeles and then take out across the desert toward the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff, Albuquerque, across southern Colorado, and on to Dodge City.  

There is so much more to America than just the Northeast Corridor.  Get out and see it, Joe, from the comfort of an Amtrak train - and take Secretary Pete with you!

Get that rail money committed today - don't wait until it is too late!

And then fire Louis DeJoy!