The American railroad system needs a lot of work. And after arguing on behalf of the railroads for decades, Joe Biden is now making a bigger investment in them than any administration since the creation of Amtrak!
Business Insider summed it up in spring 2021: Amtrak Joe.
When President Ronald Reagan in 1981 moved to trim $884 million from a budget used by Amtrak, Senator Joe Biden was the only member of the Senate Budget Committee to vote against Reagan's plan.
"You can't come back next year or the next year and change it," Biden said, according to a report from United Press International. "Those railroads will have gone."
Now, four decades later, Biden's in the seat once held by Reagan. And he's announced a $2 trillion infrastructure plan, which would include $80 billion for Amtrak. The money would go toward expanding and fixing the country's crumbling railway infrastructure, which he's fought in favor of for his whole career in Washington.
Last December, Biden made good on that promise.
President Biden Announces Billions to Deliver World-Class High-Speed Rail and Launch New Passenger Rail Corridors Across the Country
By delivering $66 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — the largest investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak 50 years ago — President Biden is delivering on his vision to rebuild America and win the global competition for the 21st century.
Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing $8.2 billion in new funding for 10 major passenger rail projects across the country, including the first world-class high-speed rail projects in our country’s history. Key selected projects include:
- building a new high-speed rail system between California and Nevada, which will serve more than 11 million passengers annually;
- creating a high-speed rail line through California’s Central Valley to ultimately link Los Angeles and San Francisco, supporting travel with speeds up to 220 mph;
- delivering significant upgrades to frequently-traveled rail corridors in Virginia, North Carolina, and the District of Columbia; and
- upgrading and expanding capacity at Chicago Union Station in Illinois, one of the nation’s busiest rail hubs.
Biden’s rail projects will reach into every region of the USA, touching millions of people who could never take the train in the past.
Announced projects will add new passenger rail service to cities that have historically lacked access to America’s rail network, connecting residents to jobs, healthcare, and educational opportunities. Investments will repair aging rail infrastructure to increase train speeds and reduce delays, benefiting freight rail supply chains to boost America’s economy.
Additionally, electric high-speed rail trains will take millions of cars off the roads and reduce emissions, further cementing intercity rail as an environmentally-friendly alternative to flying or driving and saving time for millions of Americans. These investments will also create tens of thousands of good-paying union jobs in construction and related industries — adding to over 100,000 jobs that the President is creating through historic investments in world-class rail.
The rail projects will weave cities and states together while ensuring the safety of passengers, crew and people using railroad crossings.
Today’s investment includes $8.2 billion through the Federal Railroad Administration’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program. It also includes $34.5 million through the Corridor Identification and Development program to guide passenger rail development on 69 rail corridors across 44 states, ensuring that intercity rail projects are ready for implementation. President Biden will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada to make this announcement.
To date, President Biden has announced $30 billion for rail projects across the country — including $16.4 billion on the Northeast Corridor, $1.4 billion for passenger rail and freight rail safety projects, and $570 million to upgrade or mitigate railroad crossings.
Is there still more work to be done? 100%! Lots more work. But Biden did more than many people guessed could be done. He deserves a lot of credit. AND he deserves to be re-elected.
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This is an entry in my ongoing series Boosting Biden.
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These posts are written by Goodnewsroundup (Goodie),
edited by Matilda Briggs, and supported by 2thanks and WolverineForTJatAW
as well as several other notable Kossacks!
As with all good things, it takes a village.