Remarks by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao on the 150th Anniversary of the Golden Spike Ceremony

Northwest Asian Weekly - May 16, 2019

Today — at the 150th anniversary of the Golden Spike Ceremony marking the completion of the transcontinental railroad — is a day to commemorate the achievement of the railroads and railroad workers who risked everything to make the Transcontinental Railroad a reality. The Transcontinental Railroad was a tremendous feat of engineering, innovation, and manpower that was key to unleashing the economic prosperity of the United States for generations. Within three years of its completion, trains could travel from New York City to San Francisco in just one week. Prior to that, travelers endured up to 6 months or more of dangerous travel by ship or covered wagon to cross the continent.

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