Vice President Joseph Biden Jr. campaigned for President Obama’s economic stimulus package Thursday, touring a Maryland train station he said is one of thousands nationwide that would benefit from the new spending.
Biden said it’s critically important that the nation upgrade its infrastructure — including rail as well highways, bridges and ports. The Laurel station was built in 1884 and officials say it is showing its age and is badly in need of repairs.
“It’s an understatement to say the economy is in trouble and the need is urgent,” Biden said. “Quite simply, we cannot wait.”
Biden said Obama’s stimulus plan would invest at least $100 billion in infrastructure, creating or saving about 400,000 jobs over the next two years.
Gov. Martin O’Malley, who joined Biden at the Laurel train station, said the stimulus plan will create or save at least 20,000 infrastructure-related jobs in the state.
He and Biden said the stimulus package would jump-start the economy and put people to work quickly. “Literally, the spades can be turned, or the steps can be pulled up the moment the governor gets the money,” Biden said. “We’re going to move immediately.”
Officials said the Laurel station needs almost $3 million in repairs, including replacing a deteriorating wood platform with weather-resistant decking, improving lighting, adding new ramps for disabled riders and rehabilitating the main building.
“It’s great to know we may finally have the money we need to bring these projects to completion,” Jawauna Greene, a Maryland Transit Administration spokeswoman, said of the potential funding.
Biden has long been a friend of the rails. He commuted daily from his Delaware home after his wife and infant daughter were killed in a car accident in 1972 — shortly after his election to the Senate — to spend more time at home with his young sons. Biden stuck with the routine throughout his 35 years in the Senate.
