Whatever happens in November, Amtrak will lose its highest-profile passenger when President Joe Biden leaves office.
Biden regularly rode passenger trains between Washington and his home in Delaware during his 36 years in the Senate, and he helped ensure Amtrak received billions of dollars for upgrades and maintenance in the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who accepted the Democratic nomination for president Aug. 22, has less of a record on passenger rail issues. But rail supporters are hoping her time in the Biden White House, combined with her enthusiasm for train travel and public transit in her home state of California, will keep on track federal backing for Amtrak and passenger rail.
“Obviously she has credibility because she works closely with Biden,” said Gary Prophet, president of the Empire State Passenger Association, which lobbies for rail and transit service in New York.
