WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation plans to take over management of Washington Union Station, the agency announced Wednesday, ending a period of just over a year when Amtrak held managerial control of the structure.
“Instead of being a point of pride, Washington’s Union Station has fallen into disrepair,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a press release covering both the Union Station plan and today’s launch of Amtrak’s NextGen Acela. “By reclaiming station management, we will help make this city safe and beautiful at a fraction of the cost.”
The structure opened in 1907 has been owned by the DOT since 1981, but it has mostly been managed by the Union Station Redevelopment Corp., a nonprofit founded in 1983 to preserve and restore the structure, maintain its functions as a transportation center, and address retail business and station amenities. Amtrak took over control of the station on July 29, 2024, following a federal court action to regain day-to-day control from Union Station Invesco LLC, which had subleased the building from USRC to oversee the commercial space [see “Amtrak begins management …,” Trains.com, July 30, 2024].
The legal action said the station needed $75 million in deferred maintenance; upon taking over, Amtrak announced plans to begin immediate work on repair and maintenance, as well as changes including the addition of a new waiting area for ticketed passengers that opened earlier this year. Amtrak eventually paid Union Station Invesco $505 million to settle the lease [see “Amtrak to pay $505 million …,” Trains.com, Feb. 11, 2025]. The Washington Post reports the situation at the station has improved since reaching its low point a few years ago, after a homeless encampment was cleared in 2022 and Amtrak gained control. New businesses have opened and a Wolfgang Puck restaurant is planned for the upper level.
Amtrak also completed a long-delayed project earlier this month that opened a new boarding platform, converting a storage track to add station capacity [see “New boarding platform opens …,” Trains.com, Aug. 6, 2025].
The DOT said that under the new arrangement, it will “leverage the valuable commercial aspects of Union Station, under the direct management of USRC,” to reinvest in the building. Station needs include improvements to elevators, lighting, and security, along with replacement of the roof and other major systems. The agency said it anticipate addressing those needs will dramatically improve income from the station, “which should unlock opportunities for private investment” as part of a potential expansion plan. as part of potential expansion.” An $8.8 billion redevelopment plan including expansion was announced in 2023 [see “New plan released …,” Trains.com, May 15, 2023]; as of a year ago, USRC said on its website that the environmental report on the project had been completed and plans were in the project development stage.
“I look forward to working closely with our team at Amtrak and the Union Station Redevelopment Corp. to focus our attention on Union Station and make it a world class transit hub,” Deputy Secretary of Transportation Steve Bradbury said. “Our nation’s capital should be putting our best foot forward.”
Amtrak will continue to control the passenger areas, the Post reports. The station is also used by the Virginia Railway Express and MARC commuter rail services, and has a DC Metrorail station — the busiest in the Metrorail system — beneath its western end.
The move comes at a time when the Trump administration has moved to exert more control in the District of Columbia, deploying the National Guard and using federal officers to patrol the city.
Having used it when it was a dump populated by muggers, pickpockets, the homeless, etc., I see no possibility of improvement. Not going back.