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U.S. vice president-elect Joseph Biden
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After 36 years of regular rail travel, U.S. vice president-elect Joseph Biden, 66, the so-called ¡°Amtrak man,¡± has decided to stop commuting by train.
Mr. Biden, who served as senator for Delaware, has caught the Amtrak train in Wilmington, Delaware for the 90-minute, 352 km (round-trip) commute to Washington almost every day for 36 years.
His preference for commuting stems a family tragedy. When Biden was first elected to the Senate, but before he officially took office, in 1972, his wife, Neilia, and children were involved in a fatal car accident while Christmas shopping. His wife and daughter were killed, while sons Beau and Hunter were seriously injured. Ever since, Biden has commuted to Washington. He even took the oath of senator in his children¡¯s hospital.
Five years after losing his wife Biden remarried and his children have now made full recoveries. Mr. Biden does not work on Feb. 18, the day he lost his wife and daughter. He has also staunchly refused to reside in Washington.
However, when he takes office on Jan. 20, his family will have to move to the vice president¡¯s official residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory located off Massachusettes Avenue in Washington D.C. His commuting distance will decrease from 352 km to 4 km and he will take a bullet-proof vehicle instead of train. Last Thursday, incumbent Vice President Dick Cheney invited the Bidens to their official residence for the next four years.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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