President Joe Biden Visits 30th Street Station In Philadelphia On Amtrak's 50th Anniversary
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia hosted a presidential visit Friday. President Joe Biden came to 30th Street Station to mark Amtrak's 50th anniversary and push for his $3.3 trillion jobs and infrastructure plan.
The president's relationship with Amtrak spans decades and we're told he specifically asked for an Amtrak employee that was present during many of his trips to be a part of today's event.
Biden made his way to Philly's 30th Street Station to mark the railroad's 50th anniversary.
"Amtrak became my family," Biden said.
Blake Weaver, a lifelong conductor, introduced Biden today. Both Weaver and his father were train conductors the president got to know during his 8,000 round trips from Wilmington, Delaware, to Washington D.C.
"I always remembered how he treated everyone. He always made time for both the passengers and the employees. He also treated everyone like they were family," Weaver said.
While acknowledging Amtrak's anniversary, the CEO referred to Biden as one of the railway's most loyal customers.
The president used this opportunity to touch on his proposed American Jobs Plan, which includes an $80 million budget for upgrading American railways including Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.
"And hopefully the expansion of rail provides good union jobs, good-paying jobs. It also connects people to jobs and economic opportunities that can be reached from wherever you live. Let's put this in perspective. For years I fought efforts to cut funding for Amtrak because cutting funding for Amtrak would be a disaster for our environment and our economy," Biden said.
The president and the first lady will be in Wilmington this weekend.
His motorcade skipped the flight between Philly and New Castle, driving all of the way down. Of course, it's been slow behind those closures, leading some drivers to probably think they should have taken the train.