Rail agencies pledge readiness to work with President-Elect Biden

Written by David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief
railroad tracks
Rail agencies express congratulations to President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris

The Association of American Railroads, Amtrak, the American Public Transportation Association, and the Railway Supply Institute are among the agencies congratulating President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris and expressing enthusiasm for working with the new administration.

Amtrak’s press release included a statement from president & CEO Bill Flynn:

“Amtrak looks forward to working with President-elect Biden and Congress. To get the economy moving and help Amtrak and our employees through this unprecedented situation, Congress must act now on pandemic relief and economic stimulus funding which enables Amtrak to recall furloughed employees, restore service frequency on long-distance and state-supported routes, and make investments that will advance critical capital projects such as bridges and tunnels on the Northeast Corridor and new equipment, infrastructure improvements and major station upgrades throughout our network.

“As we look to the future, expanded Amtrak service is essential to decarbonizing our transportation network, which generates roughly 28% of the U.S. annual carbon emissions. With cars and trucks responsible for nearly 82% of those emissions, we need passenger rail alternatives throughout the nation. As we enter our 50th year of service, we stand ready to play an important role in helping our nation recover and grow for the future.”

The American Public Transportation Association released the following statement:

“On behalf of the more than 1,500 members of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the tens of millions of public transit riders, we welcome and congratulate President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

President-Elect Biden has been a tireless champion for public transit and passenger rail over his many years of public service, and we look forward to working with his Administration on numerous issues of importance to millions of Americans who rely on bus and rail to get to work, to school, to family, and across this great nation.

Investment in public transit is a bipartisan issue, and APTA will continue to work with Republicans and Democrats alike in Congress to build a public transportation infrastructure that is the pride of the nation and rebuilds our economy.

During the lame-duck session, we look forward to working with Senate Majority Leader McConnell and Speaker Pelosi to pass an immediate COVID-19 relief package to support our transit agencies with at least $32 billion in emergency funding.

In addition, the U.S. public transportation industry stands ready to work with President-elect Biden, Vice President-elect Harris, and the new Congress in a unified push to move our country forward and build the public transportation infrastructure of the future.”

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