Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

The nation's Amtrak rider-in-chief, Vice President Joseph Biden, has penned an op-ed for the rail network's monthly magazine entitled "Why America Needs Trains."

15blog_biden.jpgThe Vice President and his wife share a tender moment -- on the Acela. (Photo: NYT)

Biden doesn't get too political in the piece, eschewing calls for more Amtrak funding in favor of a paean to the "emotional connection" he experienced riding the rails during his 36-year congressional career.

But the vice president, who has taken on a central role in the White House's high-speed rail push, closes with a strong endorsement of inter-city trains as pollution reducers:

Consider that if you shut down Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, it isestimated that to compensate for the loss, you'd have to add seven newlanes of highway to Interstate 95. When you consider that it costs anaverage of $30 million for one linear mile of one lane of highway, yousee what a sound investment rail travel is. And that's before youfactor in the environmental benefits of keeping millions and millionsof cars off the road.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: A Deep Dive on the Endless Debate Over Bike Helmets

Everything you need to know the next time someone asks you if you're "for or against" bike helmets.

May 16, 2025

Disrupting Friday’s Headlines

Elevator pitch: Buses, but they only seat six people, and you have to book one ahead of time.

May 16, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: Running to Work

Bridge engineer Daniel Baxter on his almost daily running commute in Minneapolis.

May 15, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines Want Five-Minute Cities, Maybe?

A 15 minute city doesn't mean people never drive short distances, a new poll finds — but it does mean residents at least have the *option* to walk instead, and that can carry enormous benefits.

May 15, 2025
See all posts