Obama to arrive in Washington by train

US President-elect Barack Obama will kick off his inaugural celebration on Jan 17 - the weekend before his swearing in as the country's 44th president - by traveling on a train to the nation's capital.

He and his family will start their daylong journey with an event in Philadelphia before boarding the train and picking up Vice-President-elect Joe Biden and his family in Wilmington, Delaware. The president-elect and his group then will make a stop in Baltimore before making their way to Washington.

Obama will take office on Jan 20.