Transportation Department Announces Plans To Take Over D.c.'s Union Station

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is readying to return complete nan guidance of D.C.’s Union Station, nan recreation hub for Amtrak and nan city’s metro lines, nan Transportation Department announced Wednesday morning.

The announcement from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy comes just complete a twelvemonth after Amtrak took complete guidance and operations of nan station.

“Instead of being a constituent of pride, Washington’s Union Station has fallen into disrepair,” Duffy said successful a statement. “By reclaiming position management, we will thief make this metropolis safe and beautiful astatine a fraction of nan cost.”

The Transportation Department said successful Wednesday's news merchandise that nan efforts were portion of a broader initiative, echoing nan President Donald Trump's March executive order laying retired efforts to conflict crime and beforehand "beautification" successful nan capital.

The planned takeover comes arsenic nan White House has enacted sweeping efforts to reshape nan rule enforcement presence successful nan district by surging successful national agents and nan National Guard, a move that has drawn mixed reactions from residents, pinch galore expressing anger and others voicing support.

The Transportation Department said nan position needs “improvements to elevators, lighting, and information on pinch enhancements to nan rider acquisition and replacing nan tile and different awesome systems.”

The merchandise besides referred to nan station’s “potential description .” The Union Station Redevelopment Corporation said successful 2024 that an description task was successful nan improvement stage.

The Transportation Department said it is renegotiating an statement pinch Amtrak and nan Union Station Redevelopment Corporation, which helps oversee nan position and "serve arsenic its landlord," its website explains.

"In September, general action confirming nan USDOT’s renewed power of Washington Union Station is to beryllium expected," nan news merchandise said.

NBC News has reached retired to Amtrak and nan USRC for remark connected Duffy's announcement.

The history of Union Station, which is owned by nan Federal Railroad Administration, an agency of nan Transportation Department, dates backmost much than a period to erstwhile it opened successful 1907.

In 1981, Congress passed a rule that gave nan proscription caput nan work of Union Station's "rehabilitation and redevelopment." The rule besides laid retired nan extremity to retreat nan national authorities "from immoderate progressive domiciled successful nan cognition and guidance of nan Union Station analyzable arsenic soon arsenic practical," Union Station's website details.

Amtrak took power of nan station's guidance and operations successful July of past twelvemonth successful coordination pinch partners for illustration nan Federal Railroad Administration.