Joe Biden to Visit Amtrak’s Wilmington Station Today

The vice president is expected to announce a $2.5 billion Amtrak project this afternoon.

Vice President Joe Biden

Vice President Joe Biden.

Vice President Joe Biden will speak at the Wilmington, Delaware train station that bears his name today at 3 p.m. to announce new funding for Amtrak. Biden is expected to reveal a $2.5 billion deal to improve efficiency and infrastructure through a partnership between Amtrak and an unidentified firm specializing in high-speed trains, according to NBC 10.

The Wilmington station was renamed the “Joseph R. Biden Jr. Railroad Station” in 2009, commemorating Biden’s long-time advocacy of railroad transit. During his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Biden commuted from Wilmington to Washington, D.C., using Amtrak. In 2008, the New York Times called Biden’s love of Amtrak “one of the staples of Mr. Biden’s Regular Joe credentials.”

“It’s his home station,” said Amtrak spokesperson Mike Tolbert of Wilmington station. “He’s been a long-time Amtrak rider and it’s his home station.”

Democrats have long advocated for more funding for Amtrak, particularly in the wake of the fatal train derailment in Philadelphia in 2015.