Vice President Joe Biden, seated, and DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx, left, get a tour from engineer Rick Stolnis at Philadelphia's 30th Street Station.
Photo by Tom Gralish, staff photographer, The Philadelphia Inquirer. Reprinted by permission.

Vice President Joe Biden, seated, and DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx, left spoke about the need for infrastructure investment at ceremonies Feb. 6 in Philadelphia to welcome Amtrak’s new Cities Sprinter electric locomotive.

“This locomotive represents a heck of a lot more than just getting from Point A to Point B,” Biden said. He pointed to the 69 companies in 23 states that contributed materials and technology to build the new vehicles, saying, “This is how we used to grow America.”

The locomotive, the first of 70 built in the U.S. by Siemens and its subcontractors, entered service Feb. 7 in Boston. It will operate on the Northeast Corridor.