‘Amtrak Joe’ Biden Reacts To Fatal Crash: ‘Amtrak Is Like A Second Family To Me’

Among political figures that have spent time commuting with Amtrak, few talk about passenger trains more than Vice President Joe Biden – who earned the nickname “Amtrak Joe” because of his love for the rail system.

This morning, Biden released a statement reacting to the horrific derailment of an Amtrak passenger train traveling from Washington D.C.

“Amtrak is like a second family to me, as it is for so many other passengers,” he said. “For my entire career, I’ve made the trip from Wilmington to Washington and back. I’ve come to know the conductors, engineers, and other regulars—men and women riding home to kiss their kids goodnight—as we passed the flickering lights of each neighborhood along the way.”

Biden added that he and his wife were “deeply saddened” about the news of the tragedy and thanked emergency responders on the scene.

“The victims could have been any one of our parents, children, or someone from one of our communities,” he said.