Nov. 6 (UPI) — President Joe Biden will travel to Delaware on Monday to announce $16 billion in rail improvements along the country’s heaviest-used passenger rail lines, known as the Northeast Corridor, as part of his ongoing infrastructure plan.
The president, who was well known for riding Amtrak to and from Congress while serving as a U.S. senator in Delaware, will make his announcement in New Castle, at Amtrak Bear Maintenance Shops.
“The Northeast Corridor, running from Boston to Washington, D.C., is the most heavily traveled rail corridor in the United States, supporting 800,000 trips per day in a region that represents 20% of U.S. gross domestic product,” a statement from the White House said.
“If the Northeast Corridor shut down for a single day, it would cost the economy $100 million in lost productivity. Despite its importance, the Corridor hasn’t seen major investment in generations.”
The funding includes $3.8 billion for the Gateway Hudson River Tunnel in New York and New Jersey, $4.7 billion for the Frederick Douglass Tunnel and $2.1 billion for the Susquehanna River Bridge in Maryland, $1.6 billion for Penn Station Access in New York and $827 million for the Connecticut River Bridge in Connecticut.
The White House said many of the tracks, tunnels and bridges that make up the Northeast Corridor were built with investments from the 1830s and need to be rebuilt.
“Combined with Amtrak’s nearly $9 billion fleet replacement program, which will replace over 1,000 locomotives and coaches with state-of-the-art and Made-in-America equipment, these investments will ensure that train service is more convenient and climate-friendly than either driving or flying,” the White House said.
“The funding will also contribute to more than 100,000 good-paying union jobs in construction.”