Former Vice President Joe Biden has been called by many nicknames before he was officially nominated as the Democratic candidate for president in 2020, but perhaps the one he is best known by is "Amtrak Joe (open in new tab)." It was his primary mode of transportation for his political career in Washington, D.C., and for his trips home to Delaware, where his now wife lives. What started out as a tragedy, he eventually became a big proponent of the railroad during his time in the Senate and later as Vice President. It became an indelible part of his life and work. So how did Joe become "Amtrak Joe" and why is that so important to understanding who he was?

Biden lost his wife and daughter (opens in new tab) in a tragic car accident in 1972. His sons were seriously injured in the accident but later recovered.

He then began taking Amtrak to Washington, D.C. and back every day (the trip takes about 90 minutes) so he could be home with his sons. He has continued to do this throughout his career and says it has allowed him to feel closer to his children.

Biden has apparently traveled more than 2 million miles on Amtrak, the equivalent of four years of his life. He is a big advocate of rail travel, and in 2016 he provided more than $2 billion in loans to help update trains and stations. He even wrote a blog for the Huffington Post about why America needs rail (opens in new tab). In it, he discusses the importance of Amtrak in his life. He wrote, "It is a community of dedicated professionals who have shared my life's milestones and allowed me to share theirs.

In 2011, Amtrak's Wilmington station was named after him (open in new tab). In all my career, good and bad, the first people I met were on the train. They were there first for me. I mean, literally. They said, 'Joe, you're going to be fine.'"

In 2008, after Biden was chosen as Obama's running mate, the New York Times ran a feature story. The politician's normally quiet car was lively, even boisterous, as Biden chatted with reporters and aides; after the 2016 election, Biden was quietly seen leaving D.C. (open in new tab) on Amtrak to return to Delaware.

In traditional fashion, he was seen quietly heading home a few hours after declaring his candidacy for president (open in new tab):

And he even bumped into presidential hopeful Kamala Harris.

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