Washington — The Department of Transportation will reclaim management of Washington, D.C.’s transit hub Union Station, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced, saying the move is necessary to “help make this city safe and beautiful.”
Duffy made the announcement Wednesday as he joined Amtrak leaders to mark the launch of new Acela train sets, and as the Trump administration has launched an anti-crime crackdown in Washington that involves a massive federal presence. Although the Transportation Department has owned the transit hub since the early 1980s, the department says control has been reduced through various leases and agreements.
“With these new Acela trainsets, Amtrak will provide more reliable service and lower prices for the American people – all while increasing the organization’s profitability,” Duffy said. “But we’re not stopping there. Instead of being a point of pride, Washington’s Union Station has fallen into disrepair. By reclaiming station management, we will help make this city safe and beautiful at a fraction of the cost.”
Union Station and is a hub for travel for D.C.’s Metro system and throughout the Northeast corridor, as well as the rest of the East Coast, and Amtrak says about 70,000 people pass through Union Station each day.
Union Station has been a focal point for the federal government’s crime crackdown in Washington, with the administration citing crime and homelessness. A large National Guard presence is posted there, and Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited the National Guard members patrolling there last week.
The Department of Transportation says the department will soon be able to reinvest income from the station, such as for parking, for capital improvements, like security, lighting and elevators. The department said it’s renegotiating an agreement with the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation and Amtrak, and expects to have renewed control of the station in September.
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