Now he’s finally getting some good transportation news to talk about, with back-to-back appearances near rail lines in Baltimore and New York City.
They are among the first of what the White House hope will be a stream of infrastructure celebrations this year, each one allowing Biden — and Democratic rising star Pete Buttigieg, his Transportation secretary — to highlight the kind of concrete triumphs that voters love, while downplaying other bad news that has plagued the administration.
“For years, people talked about fixing this tunnel. With the bipartisan infrastructure law, though, we’re finally getting it done,” the pro-Amtrak president said Monday near a 150-year-old rail tunnel in Baltimore, where he hailed more than $6 billion in upgrades that will allow trains to travel through the city at up to 110 mph. Whistles from two Amtrak engines sounded off to mark the start of construction of a new tunnel, named after Frederick Douglass.