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Biden is coming to Philly to celebrate Amtrak’s 50th anniversary

The trip, Biden’s third to Pennsylvania since mid-March, will follow his first address to a joint session of Congress and come during the week marking his 100th day in office.

President Joe Biden, then the Democratic nominee for president, campaigns at Amtrak's Pittsburgh station in September during a train tour through Ohio and Pennsylvania. He is scheduled to visit Philadelphia's 30th Street Station on Friday to mark Amtrak's 50th anniversary.
President Joe Biden, then the Democratic nominee for president, campaigns at Amtrak's Pittsburgh station in September during a train tour through Ohio and Pennsylvania. He is scheduled to visit Philadelphia's 30th Street Station on Friday to mark Amtrak's 50th anniversary.Read moreAndrew Harnik / AP
    by Jonathan Tamari
    Updated 
    Published 

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is coming to Philadelphia on Friday to mark the 50th anniversary of Amtrak’s founding, according to three Democrats familiar with his plans.

The White House confirmed the trip, saying Biden will visit 30th Street Station in the city.

The visit, which would be Biden’s third to Pennsylvania since mid-March, will follow his first address to a joint session of Congress Wednesday during the week that marks his first 100 days in office. It also comes as he presses his case for his sweeping infrastructure and jobs plan, which calls for an $80 billion investment in rail.

» READ MORE: Biden unveils his multitrillion-dollar infrastructure plan in Pittsburgh: ‘We can get it done’

Amtrak has long been a central piece of Biden’s political identity. He spent years traveling the rail line back and forth from Delaware to Washington during his decades as a senator, earning the nickname “Amtrak Joe.” In 2017, he estimated he had taken more than 8,200 round trips covering more than two million miles. He rode the train again on the day he launched his presidential campaign in 2019.

Biden also has deep ties to Pennsylvania. He was born in Scranton, based his campaign in Philadelphia, and held major rallies there and in Pittsburgh. The state proved crucial to his victory in 2020. It’s also close enough to Washington to make it convenient for presidential travel.

Biden visited Delaware County last month to promote his first major legislation, a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, and went to Pittsburgh at the end of March to launch his American Jobs Plan.