Biden announces $2.45 trillion loan to help railway infrastructure in the US. Courtesy Amtrak.
As well as re-signing to the Paris Accord on Climate Change, the newly elected president of the US is keen to push a new green agenda into American policy. And if his previous record is anything to go by, trains could be a key feature in this plan. By James Teo.
Washington, DC. February 2020. A relatively unknown fact about recent election lead-up in the US is that one candidate already has a transport hub named after him. No, it’s not the Donald Trump International Golf Airport, it’s the Joseph R. Biden Jr. Railroad Station in Wilmington, Delaware. As a keen train user, Biden has a reputation for supporting rail transport, and has reputedly travelled over three million relatively sustainable kilometres on the rails during his political career.
Biden’s link to train travel came early in his career when his first wife and children were involved in a fatal car crash. His sons survived, but his wife and daughter were killed. To make sure his devastated sons had regular parental contact, he vowed to go home from the Senate every night, so they would not feel alone. And he did it every day from 1972, until now. Nerds have calculated he has probably spent at least four years sitting on a railway seat: he certainly spent years of his political life commuting daily to Washington by train). He rejected aircraft in favour of train transport to attend the last two presidential inaugurations, and even used a “Build Back Better Express” train as his rolling candidature platform through northern US states last September in favour of a bus or plane. As a result, Joe Biden has understandably been nicknamed Amtrak Joe in many states.
America’s existing rail infrastructure is old, slow, and in some cases dangerous too. Courtesy Wikipedia.
He was instrumental in facilitating a major $2.4 billion loan in 2016 to help the national rail operator, Amtrak, upgrade some of its major facilities. And during his election run-up, he told supporters that if he was elected, he would help to “spark the second great railroad revolution” with $1.3 trillion of support for America’s existing and planned railway infrastructure. “Rail is a great way to carry us all into a leaner, cleaner, greener 21st century,” he wrote in a commentary in a transport magazine.
With all this on his CV, it is unlikely that Biden will back away from what is likely to be a great vote-winner with the blue-collar white classes that are looking for skilled hands-on jobs – like building new high speed links across America and establishing green freight distribution hubs for the online buying economy.
“With delays at our airports and congestion on our roads becoming increasingly ubiquitous … increased environmental awareness, and a need for transportation links between growing communities, rail travel is more important to America than ever before,” wrote Biden in one online commentary.
Amtrak under Biden has bold plans for several new HST routes in coming years. Courtesy Amtrak.
Potential ideas would include new rail corridors building rail connectors between small and midsize cities across the US, and the introduction of high speed rail (HST) links between Washington and New York, and Los Angeles and San Francisco – in the short term. Biden says that instead of relying on designed in the US and made in China high tech, there is also room to large engineering expertise to make a difference to climate protection.
Biden is not the only sustainability advocate in his new administration. Pete Buttigieg has been approved as the new US transportation secretary, and has vowed to invest heavily in public transport. He has also said he will push cities to move away from “auto-centric” approaches to street design. Best of all, he describes himself as “probably the second-biggest passenger-rail enthusiast in the administration.”
Better still, Biden asserts that moving major sectors – such as rail transport - to a full-service clean energy economy is a massive opportunity, as well as an obligation to the planet.
“We can lead America to become the world’s clean energy superpower,” he claimed, leading to the export of home-grown our clean-energy technology across the globe to create high-quality, middle-class jobs back in the US. It is an appealing vision.
“We are at the dawn of a new age,” he added. “One where the very best ideas of today will shape our tomorrow, where renewable clean energy and new transportation systems and more efficient technology.”
Biden asserts that moving major sectors – such as rail transport - to a full-service clean energy economy is a massive opportunity, as well as an opportunity.
“We should fully adopt a clean energy future, not just for all of us today, but for our children and grandchildren, so their tomorrow is healthier, safer, and more just.” Amtrak Joe - on time, and on the rails again.