Media Coverage

Biden will support Amtrak; can he convince GOP?

Much has been written about Biden’s personal affinity for the nation’s only passenger railroad, which relies during a normal year on about $2 billion in federal subsidies. How Biden, as a young widower and first-term senator, rode Amtrak to and from his Delaware home so he could tuck his two boys into bed each night. How his years riding the rails put him on a first-name basis with Amtrak staff. How he announced his first presidential bid at the train station in Wilmington in 1987.

But less has been written about the substantive work the president-elect did to earn his reputation as the railroad’s most ardent backer in Congress.

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Former Amtrak president says Biden knows value of national network

President-elect Joseph Biden’s impact on Amtrak’s funding or management policies won’t be known until he articulates specific priorities in the weeks or months ahead.

But former Amtrak president Tom Downs, who met with Biden when he was a U.S. Senator for Delaware commuting between Washington and his home in Wilmington, Del., doubts that “Amtrak Joe” will endorse the current decision to reduce frequencies on long-distance routes to less than daily departures.

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Montana passenger rail commission grows to 10 counties; Tester eyes infrastructure bill

The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority grew to 10 Montana counties on Tuesday in a growing effort to restore Amtrak service to the state’s southern tier.

While passenger rail service has contracted nationally during the pandemic, Sen. Jon Tester said it enjoys bipartisan support in the Senate and could be eyed for investment down the road with the aid of an infrastructure bill.

Pacific Northwest, South serve as models for passenger rail in Montana

As counties across southern Montana join the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority in a push to restore passenger service to the region, other states are launching ambitious goals of their own, recognizing the role transportation will play in future economies. The SRC is the model the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority should explore.

Virtual passenger rail summit set for Thursday

Montana officials are hosting a Virtual Passenger Rail Summit on Thursday to educate and advocate for the restoration of passenger rail service to southern Montana and continued support for Amtrak's Empire Builder. Representatives from the Southern Rail Commission and Transportation for America will present on successful regional collaborations and more.