WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s effort to use eminent domain to take control of Washington Union Station is being challenged by the current operator of the landmark structure, saying projects planned by the passenger railroad do not meet the legal requirements for the takeover or require the move.
The Washington Post reports that Union Station Investco LLC and an associated business contend in a court filing that Amtrak’s plans to expand the station concourse and repair tunnels under the structure will mostly take place in areas already subleased by Amtrak and that the company can seek additional space if needed.
Amtrak launched a court action in April to seek control of the structure, owned by the federal government but subleased to Investco through 2084, saying the move was necessary to “improve the station and shore up the station infrastructure” [see “Amtrak seeks control of Washington Union Station,” Trains News Wire, April 18, 2022].
Amtrak currently leases about 13% of the station from Investco, which says the railroad’s plans do not “necessitate taking the entirety of Union Station, which is approximately 420,797 square feet. Nor could Amtrak expand its operations into many parts of the station because they are protected as historic sites.”
Also named in Amtrak’s complaint is Kookmin Bank Co., a South Korean lender. The bank, in its own filing, asked the case be dismissed, saying “Amtrak wants to seize control of a valuable asset or at least leverage its position in order to extract economic concessions to which it is not entitled.” Both filings dispute Amtrak’s contention that the station suffers from a lack of capital investment and deficient maintenance.
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