Biden Comments on Baltimore Tunnel Replacement Project

President Joe Biden welcomed the plan to replace the Baltimore tunnel. The tunnel has been in existence for about 150 years.

The Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel replacement project is part of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill that passed Congress with bipartisan support and is one of the president’s biggest legislative victories.

“There is a long overdue need for a 21st century rail system in this country,” Biden said.

The Civil War-era tunnel is a major barrier to commuter and long-distance rail service on the route connecting Washington, D.C., New York and Boston and served by Amtrak. Biden noted that 2,200 trains pass through it daily, making it the busiest tunnel in the United States.

“People talk about how badly the Baltimore Tunnel needs upgrades. Needless to say, I’ve been there and you’ve been there, too,” Biden said, referring to the fact that he rode the Amtrak train in the years when he was a senator.

According to Biden, trains that now travel through the tunnel at 30 miles per hour will travel at 110 miles per hour when the repairs are completed.

The new tunnel, named for abolitionist Frederick Douglass, will be completed by 2032. Amtrak will use unionized workers, Biden noted.

“I know we can pave the way to build an economy in which no one will be left behind,” Biden said. – That’s what this project is all about… It’s about doing business here in America again. It’s about good jobs.”

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