View source for Washington Union Station

{{Short description|Intermodal hub in Washington, D.C.}}
{{About||the Washington Metro station|Union Station (Washington Metro)|the DC Streetcar station|Washington Union Station#DC Streetcar}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox station
| name               = Union Station<br />{{small|Washington, DC}}
| other_name         = 
| style              = Amtrak
| image              = File:Union Station Washington DC.jpg
| caption            = Union Station in May 2015
| address            = 50 [[Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.)|Massachusetts Avenue]] [[Northeast, Washington, D.C.|NE]]<br />[[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| country            = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|38.89731|-77.00626|format=dms|type:railwaystation_region:US-DC|display=inline,title}}
| owned              = [[United States Department of Transportation]] (station building and parking)<br />[[Washington Terminal Company]]/[[Amtrak]] (platforms and tracks)<ref name="greatamericanstations.com">{{cite web |url = http://www.greatamericanstations.com/Stations/WAS |title = Washington – Union Station, DC (WAS) |work = the Great American Stations |publisher = Amtrak |date = 2016 |access-date = March 8, 2013 |archive-date = October 22, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161022124723/http://www.greatamericanstations.com/Stations/WAS |url-status = live }}</ref> Union Station Redevelopment Corp. leased to Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.aacrealty.com/portfolio/union-station |publisher = Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation |title = Union Station |access-date = September 19, 2017 |archive-date = August 9, 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200809131644/http://www.aacrealty.com/portfolio/union-station |url-status = live }}</ref>
| operator           = Amtrak
| line               = [[Amtrak]] [[Northeast Corridor]]<br />[[CSX]] [[RF&P Subdivision]]<!-- the physical "line" is not the same as "services" which are detailed below -->
| platforms          = 18
| tracks             = 22
| train_operators    = Amtrak, [[MARC Train|MARC]], [[Virginia Railway Express|VRE]]
| bus_stands         = located on the mezzanine level<ref>{{cite web |url = https://peterpanbus.com/locations/district-of-columbia/washington/ |title = Washington, D.C. Station |publisher = Peter Pan Bus Lines |access-date = September 19, 2017 |archive-date = December 5, 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201205122333/https://peterpanbus.com/locations/district-of-columbia/washington/ |url-status = live }}</ref>
| bus_operators      = {{plainlist|
* [[Metrobus (Washington, D.C.)|WMATA Metrobus]]
* [[List of MTA Maryland bus routes#Commuter bus routes|Maryland MTA Commuter Bus]]
* [[Loudoun County Commuter Bus]]
* [[Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission|PRTC Buses]]
* [[Greyhound Lines]]
* [[Peter Pan Bus Lines]]
* Washington Deluxe
* [[BestBus]]
* [[OurBus]]
}}
| connections        = {{rint|washington|metro}} {{rint|washington|RD}} at [[Union Station (Washington Metro)|Union Station]]<br />{{rint|tram|link=DC Streetcar}} [[DC Streetcar]] at [[#DC Streetcar|Union Station]]<br /> {{bike icon}} [[Metropolitan Branch Trail]]
| parking            = 2,448 spaces
| bicycle            = 180
| accessible         = Yes
| code               = {{Amtrak code|WAS}}
| iata               = ZWU
| zone               = 1 (VREX)
| opened             = 1908
| electrified        = January&nbsp;28, 1935<ref>{{cite news |title=Pennsy's New Electric Train Breaks Record |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69054254/dcu-to-phi-electric-january-28-1935/ |access-date=January 31, 2021 |work=[[The Baltimore Sun|The Evening Sun]] |date=January 28, 1935 |location=[[Baltimore, Maryland]] |page=28 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=November 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109013402/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69054254/dcu-to-phi-electric-january-28-1935/ |url-status=live }} {{open access}}</ref> (ceremonial)<br />February&nbsp;10, 1935<ref>{{cite news |title=N.Y.-Washington Electric Train Service Starts Sunday on P.R.R. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69030892/prr-electrification-february-9-1935/ |access-date=January 31, 2021 |work=[[The Home News Tribune|The Daily Home News]] |date=February 9, 1935 |location=[[New Brunswick, New Jersey]] |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=May 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507050155/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69030892/prr-electrification-february-9-1935/ |url-status=live }} {{open access}}</ref> (regular service)
| rebuilt            = 1981–1989
| mpassengers        = {{rail pass box|system=Amtrak only|passengers={{Amtrak ridership|Washington, D.C.}}{{Amtrak ridership|citationDC}}|pass_year={{Amtrak ridership|date}}}}
| services_collapsible = yes
| services           = {{Adjacent stations
  |system1=Amtrak
    |line1=Acela Express|right1=BWI Airport
    |line2=Vermonter|right2=New Carrollton
    |line3=Cardinal|left3=Alexandria|right3=Baltimore
    |line4=Carolinian|left4=Alexandria|right4=Baltimore
    |line5=Silver Meteor|left5=Alexandria|right5=Baltimore
    |line6=Floridian|left6=Alexandria|right6=Rockville
    |line7=Crescent|left7=Alexandria|right7=BWI Airport
    |line8=Northeast Regional|left8=Alexandria|right8=New Carrollton
    |line9=Palmetto|left9=Alexandria|right9=New Carrollton
  |system10=MARC
    |line10=Brunswick|left10=Silver Spring
    |line11=Camden|right11=Riverdale
    |line12=Penn|right12=New Carrollton
  |system13=Virginia Railway Express
    |line13=Fredericksburg|left13=L'Enfant
    |line14=Manassas|left14=L'Enfant
  }}
| other_services_collapsible = yes
| other_services_header = Former services
| other_services     = {{Adjacent stations
  |system1=Amtrak
    |line1=Chesapeake|right1=Capital Beltway
    |line2=Hilltopper|left2=Alexandria|right2=New Carrollton
    |line3=Metroliner|right3=Capital Beltway
    |line4=Shenandoah|left4=Silver Spring
    |line5=National Limited|right5=Capital Beltway|to-right5=Kansas City
    |line6=Montrealer|right6=Capital Beltway
    |line7=Capitol Limited|left7=Rockville
    |line8=Silver Star|left8=Alexandria|right8=Baltimore
  |system9=Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
    |line9=main|left9=Takoma|right9=Riverdale
    |line10=main|left10=University|right10=Langdon
  |system11=Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
    |line11=Main Line|left11=Alexandria
  |system12=Pennsylvania Railroad
    |line12=Washington-Philadelphia|right12=Landover
  |system13=Southern Railway
    |line13=Main Line|left13=Alexandria
  |system14=Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad
    |line14=Main Line|left14=Seventh Street
  }}
| other_services2_header = Proposed services
| other_services2_collapsible = yes
| other_services2    = {{Adjacent stations|
system1=MARC|line1=Penn|left1=L'Enfant Plaza|to-left1=Alexandria|right1=New Carrollton
|line2=Brunswick|left2=L'Enfant Plaza|to-left2=Alexandria|right2=Silver Spring|to-right2=Martinsburg or Frederick}}
| nrhp               = {{Infobox NRHP
| embed                = yes
| name                 = Washington D.C. Union Station
| nrhp_type            =
| area                 =
| built                = 1908
| architect            = [[D.H. Burnham & Company]] (William Pierce Anderson, Daniel Burnham)
| architecture         = [[Classical architecture|Classical]], [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts]], among others
| designated_nrhp_type = March 24, 1969
| refnum               = 69000302
}}
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 14
| mapframe-marker-color = #000
| mapframe-marker = rail
}}
'''Washington Union Station''', known locally as '''Union Station''', is a major [[train station]], transportation hub, and leisure destination in [[Washington, D.C.]] Designed by [[Daniel Burnham]] and opened in 1907, it is [[Amtrak]]'s second-busiest station and North America's [[List of busiest railway stations in North America|13th-busiest]] railroad station. The station is the southern terminus of the [[Northeast Corridor]], an [[Railway electrification|electrified rail line]] extending north through major cities including [[Baltimore]], [[Philadelphia]], [[New York City]], and [[Boston]], and the busiest passenger rail line in the nation. In 2015, it served just under five million passengers.<ref name=":02">{{cite web |date=July 2016 |title=Amtrak National Fact Sheet: FY2015 |url=https://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/998/601/Amtrak-National-Fact-Sheet-FY2015,0.pdf |access-date=February 7, 2017 |publisher=Amtrak |archive-date=August 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820011533/https://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/998/601/Amtrak-National-Fact-Sheet-FY2015,0.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

An [[intermodal passenger transport|intermodal facility]], Union Station also serves [[MARC Train|MARC]] and [[Virginia Railway Express|VRE]] [[commuter rail]] services, the [[Washington Metro]], the [[DC Streetcar]], [[Intercity bus service|intercity bus lines]], and local [[Metrobus (Washington, D.C.)|Metrobus]] buses. It carries the [[IATA airport code]] of ZWU.<ref name="airport">{{cite web |title=Help: Three Letter Airport Codes |url=http://www.lastupdate.com/usairports/airportcodes_us_w.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001154643/http://www.lastupdate.com/usairports/airportcodes_us_w.html |archive-date=October 1, 2020 |access-date=May 12, 2005 |work=LastUpDate.com}}</ref>

At the height of its traffic, during [[World War II]], as many as 200,000 passengers passed through the station in a single day.<ref name="NPS Union Station">{{cite web |url = http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc80.htm |title = Union Station |publisher = National Park Service |work = Washington, DC: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary |access-date = February 18, 2015 |archive-date = May 15, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210515091811/https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc80.htm |url-status = dead }}</ref> In 1988, a [[headhouse]] wing was added and the original station renovated for use as a [[shopping mall]]. As of 2014, Union Station was one of the busiest rail facilities and shopping destinations in the United States, visited by over 40 million people a year.<ref>{{cite web |work = Travel+Leisure |url = http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/worlds-most-visited-tourist-attractions/6 |title = The World's Most-visited Tourist Attractions |date = November 10, 2014 |access-date = November 4, 2015 |archive-date = July 11, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170711142055/http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/worlds-most-visited-tourist-attractions/6 |url-status = live }}</ref> The [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and other factors caused a sharp decline in retail and dining; by late 2022, more than half its commercial space was vacant. Amtrak took control of the station in 2024 and is working on a major renovation and expansion. On August 27, 2025, the [[Trump administration]] announced it would negotiate to resume direct federal management of non-railroad areas.

==History==
===Pre-Union Station terminals===
Before Union Station opened, each of the major railroads operated out of one of two stations:
* [[New Jersey Avenue Station]] (1851–1907): [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]] trains arrived and left from this railroad station. It was located at the corner of New Jersey Avenue NW and C Street NW.<ref name="Union Station Opening page 2">{{cite news |title = Union Station Opening: Railroad Officials Decide on Dates for Using Terminal |newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] |date = October 8, 1907 |page = 2 |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121215319/union-station-opening/ |via = Newspapers.com |access-date = March 19, 2023 |archive-date = March 19, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230319214241/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121215319/union-station-opening/ |url-status = live }}</ref>
* [[Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station]] (1872–1907): [[Baltimore and Potomac Railroad]] (B&P), a subsidiary of the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]], the [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]], and the [[Southern Railway (U.S.)|Southern Railway]] all left from this train station. It was located at the corner of B Street NW, now [[Constitution Avenue]], and 6th Street NW.<ref name="Union Station Opening page 2" />

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad line ran east on D Street NE across North Capitol Street, then north on Delaware Avenue NE. It divided into two lines. The Metropolitan branch continued north on 1st Street NE, turning east on New York Ave NE and continuing north through [[Eckington (Washington, D.C.)|Eckington]]. The other line turned east onto I Street NE up to 7th Street NE where it headed back north on what is today West Virginia Avenue running next to the ''Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb'' (now [[Gallaudet University]]).<ref>{{cite book |title = Sanborn Map of Washington DC, 1903–1916 |volume = 2 }}</ref>

=== 20th century ===

==== Construction ====
When the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] and the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]] announced in 1901 that they had agreed to build a new union station together, the city had two reasons to celebrate.<ref name="Union">{{cite book |last = Wright |first = William |title = Now Arriving Washington: Union Station and Life in the Nation's Capital |year = 2006 |url = http://www.washingtonunionstation.com/chapters/Chapter1.pdf |page = 54 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070322214344/http://www.washingtonunionstation.com/chapters/Chapter1.pdf |archive-date=22 March 2007 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> The decision meant that both railroads would soon remove their trackwork and terminals from the [[National Mall]]. Though changes there appeared only gradually, the consolidation of the depots allowed the creation of the Mall as it appears today. Secondly, the plan to bring all the city's railroads under one roof promised that Washington would finally have a station both large enough to handle large crowds and impressive enough to befit the city's role as the federal capital. The station was to be designed under the guidance of [[Daniel Burnham]], a famed Chicago architect and member of the U.S. Senate Park Commission, who in September 1901 wrote to the Commission's chairman, Sen. [[James McMillan (politician)|James McMillan]], of the proposed project: "The station and its surroundings should be treated in a monumental manner, as they will become the vestibule of the city of Washington, and as they will be in close proximity to the Capitol itself."<ref>{{cite book |last = Moore |first = Charles |title = Daniel H. Burnham: Architect, Planner of Cities |location = Boston |publisher = Houghton Mifflin |date = 1921 |volume = 1 |page = 160 }}</ref>

After two years of complicated and sometimes contentious negotiations, Congress passed S. 4825 (58th-1st session) entitled "An Act to provide a union railroad station in the District of Columbia" which was signed into law by 26th President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] on February 28, 1903.<ref>{{USStatute|57|122|32|909|1903|02|28|S|4825}}
</ref> The Act authorized the [[Washington Terminal Company]] (which was to be jointly owned by the B&O and the PRR-controlled [[Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad]]) to construct a station "monumental in character" that would cost at least $4 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|4000000|1902}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}). (The main station building's actual cost eventually exceeded $5.9 million [equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|5900000|1902}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}].) Including additional outlays for new terminal grades, approaches, bridges, viaducts, coach and freight yards, tunnels, shops, support buildings and other infrastructure, the total cost to the Terminal Company for all the improvements associated with Union Station exceeded $16 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|16000000|1902}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}). This cost was financed by $12 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|12000000|1902}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}) in first mortgage bonds as well as advances by the owners which were repaid by stock and cash.{{Citation needed|date=April 2018}}

Each carrier also received $1.5 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|1500000|1902}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}) in government funding to compensate them for the costs of eliminating grade crossings in the city. The only railroad station in the nation specifically authorized by the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]], the building was primarily designed by William Pierce Anderson of the Chicago architectural firm of [[Daniel Burnham|D.H. Burnham & Company]].<ref>{{Churella-PRR-1|pages = 738, 741–745}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1 = Burgess |first1 = George H. |last2 = Kennedy |first2 = Miles C. |name-list-style=amp |title = Centennial History of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company |location = Philadelphia |publisher = The Pennsylvania Railroad Company |date = 1949 |pages = 499–500 }}</ref>

==== Effect on the neighborhood ====
Though the project was supported by the federal government, there was opposition at the local level. The new depot would displace residents and cleave new neighborhoods east of the tracks.

On January 10, 1902, representatives of the railroads presented preliminary plans for the construction of the ''Union Depot'' (Union Station) to representatives of the District of Columbia. They proposed to build tunnels under the tracks for K, L, and M Streets NE and to close [[H Street (Washington, D.C.)|H Street]]. The street would be closed {{convert|300|ft}} on both sides of Delaware Avenue (for a total of {{convert|600|ft|disp=sqbr}}). If a tunnel was to be built for H Street NE, the cost would be an extra $10,000 (equivalent to ${{formatnum:{{inflation|US-GDP|10000|1902|r=-3}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}).<ref>{{cite news |title = Plans for Union Depot |date = January 10, 1902 |newspaper = The Washington Post |page = 12 }}</ref>

Three days later, officers and members of the Northeast Washington Citizens' Association expressed their outrage to representatives of Congress and the railroads at an Association meeting at the [[Northeast Temple and Market Company#The Northeast Temple|Northeast Temple]] on H Street NE. The president of the Association claimed that the Pennsylvania Railroad controlled Congress; a member of the Association threatened to take the matter to court. The Association declared unacceptable the loss of a major access road to downtown for the residents of Northeast; the loss of millions of dollars of business properties and of the business it represented; the closure of a vital streetcar line used by commuters, considering the alternative cost of building an access across the tracks.<ref>{{cite news |title = Against Union Depot: Northeast Citizens' Association Condemns Project |date = January 14, 1902 |newspaper = The Washington Post |page = 2 }}</ref>

At the association's March 10, 1902, meeting, its president told the audience that the District Commissioners had heard their complaints, and that H Street would remain open with a {{convert|750|ft|m|adj=on}} tunnel running under the tracks.<ref>{{cite news |title = Talked of Railroad Matters: Northeast Citizens' Association Discussed Proposed New Union Depot |newspaper = The Washington Post |page = 2 }}</ref>

More than 100 houses were demolished to make way for the station and its tracks. The demolition erased the heart of an impoverished neighborhood called "[[Swampoodle, Washington, D.C.|Swampoodle]]" where crime was rampant. It was the end of a community but the beginning of a new era for Washington, D.C.{{Cn|date=December 2022}} [[Tiber Creek]], which was prone to flooding, was [[Subterranean river|put in a tunnel]]. Delaware Avenue disappeared from the map between Massachusetts Avenue and Florida Avenue under the tracks. Only a small section remains, next to the tracks between L and M Streets NE.<ref>Department of Transportation Headquarters: Environmental Impact Statement, GSA June 2000</ref>

==== Opening and operation ====
The first B&O train to arrive with passengers was the ''Pittsburgh Express'', at 6:50&nbsp;a.m. on October 27, 1907; the first PRR train arrived three weeks later on November 17. The main building itself was completed in 1908. Of its 32 station tracks, 20 enter from the northeast and terminate at the station's headhouse. The remaining 12 tracks enter below ground level from the south via a 4,033-foot twin-tube tunnel passing under Capitol Hill and an 898-foot long subway under Massachusetts Avenue, which allow through traffic direct access to the rail networks both north and south of the city.<ref>{{harvp|Burgess|Kennedy|1949|p=500}}.</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last = Abbey |first = Wallace W. |title = Where the Nation Comes to Washington |magazine = Trains & Travel Magazine |volume = 12 |issue = 12 |date = October 1952 |pages = 50–51 }} ([http://centpacrr.com/Union_Station_DC_Tracks.jpg track diagram] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151225093716/http://centpacrr.com/Union_Station_DC_Tracks.jpg |date=December 25, 2015 }}).</ref><ref>[http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-110sres664ats/html/BILLS-110sres664ats.htm S.Res. 664 "Celebrating the centennial of Union Station in Washington, District of Columbia",110th Congress, 2nd Session] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306202304/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-110sres664ats/html/BILLS-110sres664ats.htm |date=March 6, 2016 }} September 17, 2008. U.S. Government Printing Office, GPO.gov</ref><ref name="Churella 2013 p. 744">{{harvp|Churella|2013|p=744}}.</ref>

Among the new station's unique features was an opulent "Presidential Suite" (aka "State Reception Suite") where the U.S. President, State Department and Congressional leaders could receive distinguished visitors arriving in Washington. Provided with a separate entrance, the suite (which was first used by 27th President [[William Howard Taft]] in 1909) was also meant to safeguard the Chief Executive during his travels in an effort to prevent a repeat of the July, 1881 assassination of 20th President [[James A. Garfield]] in the old former [[Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station]].<ref name="Churella 2013 p. 744"/><ref>{{harvp|Moore|1921|p=174}}.</ref> The suite was converted in December 1941, during [[World War II]], to a [[U.S.O.]] (United Services Organization) canteen, which went on to serve 6.5 million military service members during [[World War II]]. Although closed on May 31, 1946, it was reopened in 1951 as a U.S.O. lounge and dedicated by President [[Harry Truman]] as a permanent "home away from home" for traveling U.S. Armed Services members.<ref>{{harvp|Abbey|1952|p=51}}.</ref><ref>S.Res. 664 2008</ref>

On the morning of January 15, 1953, the Pennsylvania Railroad's ''[[Federal Express (passenger train)|Federal]]'', the overnight train from [[Boston South Station|Boston]], [[1953 Pennsylvania Railroad train wreck|crashed]] into the station.  When the engineer tried to apply the [[Train brakes|trainline brakes]] two miles out of the platforms, he discovered that he only had engine brakes. A switchman on the approach to the station noticed the runaway train and telephoned a warning to the station, as the train coasted downhill into track 16. The [[GG1]] electric locomotive, No. 4876, hit the [[bumper block]] at about {{convert|35|mph|km/h}}, jumped onto the platform, destroyed the stationmaster's office at the end of the track, took out a newsstand, and was on its way to crashing through the wall into the Great Hall. Just then, the floor of the terminal, having never been designed to carry the 475,000-pound weight of this locomotive, gave way, dropping the engine into the basement. The {{convert|447,000|lb|kg|sigfig=4|adj=on}} [[electric locomotive]] fell into about the center of what is now the [[food court]]. Remarkably, no one was killed, and passengers in the rear cars thought that they had only had a rough stop. An investigation revealed that an anglecock on the brakeline had been closed, probably by an [[icicle]] knocked from an overhead bridge. The accident inspired the finale of the [[1976 in film|1976 film]] ''[[Silver Streak (film)|Silver Streak]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last = Cooper |first = Rachel |title = Union Station in Washington, D.C. |location = Charleston, South Carolina |publisher = Arcadia Publishing |year = 2011 |page = 61 }}</ref> The durable design of the GG1 made its damage repairable, and it was soon back in service after being hauled away in pieces to the PRR's main shops in [[Altoona, Pennsylvania]]. Before the latter action was undertaken, the GG1 and the hole it made were temporarily planked over and hidden from view due to the imminent inauguration of [[General of the Army (United States)|General]] [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] as the thirty-fourth President of the United States.<ref name="AOTC-1-15-1953EC">{{cite web |last1=Carter |first1=Elliot |title=Runaway Train Plows Through Union Station |url=https://architectofthecapital.org/posts/2016/10/18/imagine-this-youre-nibbling-breakfast-at-union-station-when-a-train-plows-through-the-building |website=Architect of the Capital |date=October 18, 2016 |publisher=Elliot Carter |access-date=11 February 2021 |archive-date=August 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822083809/https://architectofthecapital.org/posts/2016/10/18/imagine-this-youre-nibbling-breakfast-at-union-station-when-a-train-plows-through-the-building |url-status=live }}</ref>

Until intercity passenger rail service was taken over by Amtrak on May 1, 1971, Union Station served as a hub for the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]], [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]], [[Pennsylvania Railroad]], and [[Southern Railway (U.S.)|Southern Railway]]. The [[Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac]] provided a link to [[Richmond, Virginia]], about {{convert|100|mi|0|abbr=out}} to the south, where major north–south lines of the [[Atlantic Coast Line Railroad]] and [[Seaboard Air Line Railroad]] provided service to the Carolinas, [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] and Florida.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://ctr.trains.com/~/media/import/files/pdf/f/7/7/passenger_trains_operating_on_the_eve_of_amtrak.pdf |title = Passenger trains operation on the eve of Amtrak |work = Trains Magazine |access-date = June 30, 2018 |archive-date = August 26, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120826050444/http://ctr.trains.com/~/media/import/files/pdf/f/7/7/passenger_trains_operating_on_the_eve_of_amtrak.pdf |url-status = dead }}</ref>  World War II was the busiest period in the station's history in terms of passenger traffic, with up to 200,000 people passing through on a single day.<ref name="NPS Union Station" />

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Washington, D.C., switch yards, Union Station.jpg|Trains at the station shortly after its completion, {{circa|1908}}
File:Train concourse, new Pennsylvania Station 4a23931v.jpg|Train concourse, {{circa|1915}}
File:USO Lounge Union Station Washington D.C. ppc.jpg|U.S.O. Lounge (former Presidential Suite), {{circa|1960}}
</gallery>

==== Decline ====
{{See also|National Visitor Center}}
[[File:The ill-fated "National Visitor Center" slide-show area, dug beneath the floor of Washington, D.C.'s Union Station before a wholesale restoration in the 1980s LCCN2011636305.tif|thumb|The "Pit"]]
In 1967, the chairman of the [[United States Civil Service Commission|Civil Service Commission]] expressed interest in using Union Station as a visitor center during the upcoming [[United States Bicentennial|Bicentennial]] celebrations. Funding for this was collected over the next six years, and the reconstruction of the station included outfitting the Main Hall with a recessed pit to display a slide show presentation. This was officially the PAVE (Primary Audio-Visual Experience), but was sarcastically referred to as "the Pit". The entire project was completed, save for the parking garage, and opening ceremonies were held on [[Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day]] 1976.  Due to a lack of publicity and convenient parking, the [[National Visitor Center]] was never popular. Financial considerations caused the National Park Service to close the theaters, end the slideshow presentation in "the Pit", and lay off almost three-quarters of the center's staff on October 28, 1978.<ref>{{cite news |title = Visitor Center Staff and Space to Be Reduced |newspaper = The Washington Post |date = October 27, 1978 |page = C1 }}</ref>

During this time a replacement station for Amtrak had been built behind the Union Station concourse and under a parking garage. Two traffic lanes were planned but were actually only wide enough for 1-1/2 lanes.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rattner |first1=Steven |title=Now Washington Wants Its Station Back |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/05/08/archives/now-washington-wants-its-station-back-washington-wants-station-back.html |access-date=13 January 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=8 May 1978 |archive-date=July 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701024412/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/05/08/archives/now-washington-wants-its-station-back-washington-wants-station-back.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On observing its low ceiling and plastic chairs [[The_New_Yorker|''New Yorker'']] magazine editor [[Rogers_E._M._Whitaker|E. M. Frimbo]] described it as "...a bad small town bus terminal."  Train passengers had to walk 1,900 feet from the front door to the tracks.  The most common question asked at the Visitor Center was, "Where are the trains?"<ref>{{cite news |last1=Harden |first1=Blaine |title=Union Station: Washington's Colossal Mess |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/11/16/union-station-washingtons-colossal-mess/addce6e0-449b-43b0-a67b-0b6b8e3fbb4d/ |access-date=13 January 2024 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=16 November 1980 |archive-date=November 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241130145006/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/11/16/union-station-washingtons-colossal-mess/addce6e0-449b-43b0-a67b-0b6b8e3fbb4d/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

After the leaking roof caused the partial collapse of plaster from the ceiling in the eastern wing of the building, the National Park Service declared the entire structure unsafe on February 23, 1981, and sealed the structure to the public.<ref>{{cite news |last = Harden |first = Blaine |title = Union Station, Leaking Badly, Closed as Unsafe |newspaper = The Washington Post |date = February 24, 1981 |page = A1 }}</ref>

==== Restoration ====
The 1981 ceiling collapse deeply alarmed members of Congress and officials in the new [[Presidency of Ronald Reagan|Reagan administration]]. On April 3, despite a budget austerity push, administration officials proposed a plan to appropriate $7 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|7000000|1981}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}) to allow the Department of the Interior to finish its authorized $8 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|8000000|1981}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}) roof repair program. In addition, the government of the District of Columbia would be permitted to reprogram up to $40 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|40000000|1981}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}) in federal highway money to finish the parking garage at Union Station.<ref>{{cite news |last = Eisen |first = Jack |title = U.S. to Rescue Union Station With $48 Million |newspaper = The Washington Post |date = April 4, 1981 |page = C1 |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1981/04/04/us-to-rescue-union-station-with-48-million/ecec66a5-f81b-4e6e-a189-65a7e028b959/ |access-date = 19 March 2023 |archive-date = August 27, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170827130439/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1981/04/04/us-to-rescue-union-station-with-48-million/ecec66a5-f81b-4e6e-a189-65a7e028b959/ |url-status = live }}</ref> On October 19, administration officials and members of the [[United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation]] agreed on additional aspects of the plan. Up to $1 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|1000000|1981}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}) would be authorized and appropriated to fund a study on needed repairs at the station and a second study on the feasibility of turning Union Station into a retail complex. The Department of Transportation (DOT) was authorized to sign contracts with any willing corporation to construct a retail complex in and around Union Station.<ref name=burgessnod /> DOT was also authorized to spend up to $29 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|29000000|1981}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}) in already-appropriated money from its Northeast Corridor rail capital building program on Union Station repairs.<ref name=burgessvoted /> The revised bill also required DOT to take control of Union Station from the Department of the Interior,<ref name=burgessnod /> and for DOT to buy out its lease with the station's private-sector owners. The buy-out would be spread over six years, for which $275,000 a year (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|2750000|1981}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}) was authorized and appropriated.<ref name=burgessvoted>{{cite news |last = Burgess |first = John |title = Union Station Repairs Voted |newspaper = The Washington Post |date = December 17, 1981 |page = C1 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1981/12/17/union-station-repairs-voted/f50cedf0-5335-456d-a4bd-e8c672ce26e2/ |access-date=19 March 2023}}</ref> The bill required DOT to operate Union Station as a train station once more, complete with ticketing, waiting areas, baggage areas, and boarding. Although no statement was made in the bill, Senate aides said the intent was to have Amtrak tear down its 1960s-era station at the rear of Union Station and move its operations back inside.<ref name=burgessnod>{{cite news |last = Burgess |first = John |title = Rail Station Plan Gets Reagan Nod |newspaper = The Washington Post |date = October 20, 1981 |page = B1 }}</ref> The Senate passed the bill unanimously on November 23.<ref>{{cite news |last = Burgess |first = John |title = Senate Backs Plan for Union Station |newspaper = The Washington Post |date = November 24, 1981 |page = A7 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1981/10/20/rail-station-plan-gets-reagan-nod/57c04eef-e802-4c6b-a937-4bd54c316dc5/ |access-date=19 March 2023 }}</ref> The House approved the bill on December 16.<ref name=burgessvoted /> President Ronald Reagan signed the Union Station Redevelopment Act into law on December 29.<ref>{{USStatute|97|125|95|1667|1981|December|29|S|1192}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title = Reagan Signs Measure To Aid Union Station |newspaper = The Washington Post |date = December 30, 1981 |page = C2 }}</ref>

As a result of the Redevelopment Act of 1981, Union Station was closed for restoration and refurbishing. [[Mold (fungus)|Mold]] was growing in the leaking ceiling of the Main Hall, and the carpet laid out for an [[United States presidential inauguration|Inauguration Day]] celebration was full of cigarette-burned holes. In 1988, [[United States Secretary of Transportation|Secretary of Transportation]] [[Elizabeth Dole]] awarded $70 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|70000000|1988}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}) to the restoration effort. "The Pit" was transformed into a new basement level, and the Main Hall floor was refitted with marble.  While installing new [[HVAC]] systems, crews discovered antique items in shafts that had not been opened since the building's creation.{{Citation needed|date=April 2018}}

==== Remodel ====
[[File:Amtrak trains at Washington Union Station, 1994.jpg|thumb|Trains on the platform in January 1994]]
[[File:WashUnionStation.jpg|thumb|Washington Union Station with the [[United States Capitol]] in the background in May 2022]]
[[File:20161114 42 Washington Union Station (43546484505).jpg|thumb|The Amtrak boarding area in November 2016. It is behind the original structure opened in September 1988]]
The station reopened in its present form on September 29, 1988.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://history.amtrak.com/archives/w.-graham-claytor-jr.-in-front-of-union-station |title = W. Graham Claytor, Jr. in front of Washington Union Station, 1988 |work = Amtrak History and Archives |access-date = March 8, 2013 |archive-date = October 26, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211026235610/https://history.amtrak.com/archives/w.-graham-claytor-jr.-in-front-of-union-station |url-status = live }}</ref> The former "Pit" area was replaced with an [[AMC Theatres|AMC]] movie theater (later Phoenix Theatres), which closed on October 12, 2009, and was replaced with an expanded food court and a [[Walgreens]] store. The food court still retains the original arches under which the trains were parked as well as the track numbers on those arches. A variety of shops opened along the Concourse and Main Hall, and a new [[Amtrak]] terminal at the back behind the original Concourse. Trains no longer enter the original Concourse, but the original, decorative gates were relocated to the new passenger concourse. In 1994, this new passenger concourse was renamed to honor [[W. Graham Claytor Jr.]], who served as Amtrak's president from 1982 to 1993. The decorative elements of the station were also restored. The skylights were preserved, but sunlight no longer illuminates the Concourse because it is blocked by the newer roof structure built directly overhead to support the aging, original structure.{{Citation needed|date=April 2018}}

=== 21st century ===
In July 2012, Amtrak announced a four-phase, $7 billion plan to revamp and renovate the station over 15 to 20 years. The proposed conversion would "double the number of trains and triple the number of passengers in gleaming, glass-encased halls". Then-Amtrak President and CEO [[Joseph H. Boardman]] hoped the federal government would finance "50 to 80 percent" of the project.<ref>{{cite news |last=DiCaro |first=Martin |date=25 July 2012 |title=Updated: Here's What a Revamped D.C. Union Station Would Look Like |publisher=New York Public Radio |url=http://www.wnyc.org/story/286851-pics-heres-what-a-revamped-d-c-union-station-would-look-like/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824211455/https://www.wnyc.org/story/286851-pics-heres-what-a-revamped-d-c-union-station-would-look-like/ |archive-date=August 24, 2021}}</ref>

In June 2015, the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation released a Historic Preservation Plan to guide preservation and restoration at the station complex.<ref>{{Cite web |url = https://www.usrcdc.com/news/usrc-completes-historic-preservation-plan-for-washington-union-station/ |title = USRC Completes Historic Preservation Plan for Washington Union Station |date = June 15, 2015 |publisher = Union Station Redevelopment Corporation |access-date = October 20, 2017 |archive-date = January 29, 2022 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220129111406/https://www.usrcdc.com/news/usrc-completes-historic-preservation-plan-for-washington-union-station/ |url-status = live }}</ref>

==== A new decline ====
The cinema closed in 2009, B. Smith's restaurant<ref>{{cite news |last1=O'Connell |first1=Jonathan |title=B. Smith's restaurant in Union Station to close after almost 20 years in business |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/b-smiths-restaurant-in-union-station-to-close-after-almost-20-years-in-business/2013/09/13/f1fc4c1e-1c91-11e3-82ef-a059e54c49d0_story.html |access-date=19 March 2023 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=13 September 2013 |id={{ProQuest|1432241413}} |archive-date=September 14, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914160235/http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/b-smiths-restaurant-in-union-station-to-close-after-almost-20-years-in-business/2013/09/13/f1fc4c1e-1c91-11e3-82ef-a059e54c49d0_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Barnes & Noble]] in 2013,<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Lazo |first=Luz |date=2022-11-13 |title=Union Station has fallen on hard times. Can it be saved? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/11/13/union-station-dc-rail-renovation/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208043146/https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/11/13/union-station-dc-rail-renovation/ |archive-date=December 8, 2022 |access-date=2022-12-12 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en |id={{ProQuest|2735689833}}}}</ref> and the latter's replacement, [[H&M]], in 2019.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.popville.com/2021/03/hm-closed-union-station/ | title="sign said March 6th was their last day" - PoPville | date=March 10, 2021 | access-date=January 26, 2023 | archive-date=January 26, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126192539/https://www.popville.com/2021/03/hm-closed-union-station/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

Amtrak moved its headquarters offices from Union Station to a nearby building in 2017. That same year, the Trump administration listed an $8.7 billion expansion and refurbishment of Washington Union Station as an infrastructure funding priority.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 30, 2017 |title=Trump makes $137bn list of 'emergency' infrastructure schemes, all needing private finance |work=Global Construction Review |url=http://www.globalconstructionreview.com/news/trump-makes-137bn-lis7t-emerg7ency-infrastru7cture/ |url-status=live |access-date=October 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513033739/http://www.globalconstructionreview.com/news/trump-makes-137bn-lis7t-emerg7ency-infrastru7cture/ |archive-date=May 13, 2019}}</ref> In the early 2020s, the station saw a further decline in the number of restaurants and stores as a result of the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19 pandemic]].

"A once-thriving terminal is now filled with vacant storefronts," the ''[[The Washington Post|Washington Post]]'' reported in 2022. "Union Station had as many as 100 stores more than two decades ago. It’s down to about 40 retailers and eateries while more than half its commercial space sits vacant." The station continued to wrestle with issues stemming from homeless people camped around the station and relying on its waiting and restroom facilities.<ref name=":1" /> [[Columbus Circle (Washington, D.C.)|Columbus Circle]] has been rebuilt to fix its deteriorated roadbed, adjust the passenger pickup/dropoff locations, streamline the taxi stand, and better accommodate tour buses.{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}}

==== Renovations after transfer ====
In April 2022, [[Amtrak]] began [[Eminent domain|condemnation]] proceedings to take over the leasehold interest, saying that “poor maintenance and lack of capital investment” had “plagued” the station for years.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Sernovitz |first=Daniel J. |date=May 30, 2024 |title=Amtrak's Power Play |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2024/05/30/amtrak-union-station-expansion.html?csrc=6398 |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=www.bizjournals.com}}</ref> In the meantime, the agency described plans for a major renovation and expansion, which seek to triple passenger capacity and double train capacity by modernizing and expanding station facilities over 20 years.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lazo |first=Luz |date=2023-09-15 |title=Here's who controls D.C.'s Union Station and why that could change |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2023/09/15/amtrak-dc-union-station-eminent-domain/ |access-date=2023-11-30 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en}}</ref> The "Second Century Plan" accommodates Burnham Place, a planned transit-oriented, three million square-foot mixed-use development over the existing rail yard, that will connect the station complex to the burgeoning neighborhoods of [[NoMa]] and the [[H Street (Washington, D.C.)#H Street NE|H Street Corridor]].<ref name="wapo-reno">{{cite news |last1=Lazo |first1=Luz |date=April 15, 2022 |title=Amtrak moves to seize control of Union Station |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/04/14/amtrak-eminent-domain-take-over-union-station/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225070543/https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/04/14/amtrak-eminent-domain-take-over-union-station/ |archive-date=February 25, 2023 |access-date=January 26, 2023 |newspaper=Washington Post |id={{ProQuest|2650112255}}}}</ref><ref name="amtrak-reno">{{cite web |title=Washington Union Station's 2nd Century Plan |url=https://www.amtrak.com/washington-union-station-2nd-century-plan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126171243/https://www.amtrak.com/washington-union-station-2nd-century-plan |archive-date=January 26, 2023 |access-date=January 26, 2023 |website=Amtrak}}</ref> The plan cleared a regulatory obstacle in March 2024, when the Federal Railroad Administration completed its final environmental impact statement.<ref name=":2" />

On April 17, 2024, U.S. District Court Judge [[Amit Mehta]] ruled that Amtrak could seize the station’s commercial space through [[eminent domain]], with the price to be set later.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{cite web | last=Salamy | first=Elissa | title=Amtrak can take control of Union Station, federal judge rules | publisher=FOX 5 DC | date=April 23, 2024 | url=https://www.fox5dc.com/news/amtrak-control-union-station-dc-federal-judge | access-date=February 21, 2025 | archive-date=December 2, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241202071145/https://www.fox5dc.com/news/amtrak-control-union-station-dc-federal-judge | url-status=live }}</ref> Officials said the renovation could start as early as 2027.<ref name=":2" /> Amtrak took over control of Union Station in late July 2024.<ref>{{cite web | last=Wells | first=Ciara | title=What riders need to know now that Amtrak has taken over DC's Union Station | website=WTOP News | date=July 29, 2024 | url=https://wtop.com/dc/2024/07/what-riders-need-to-know-now-that-amtrak-has-taken-over-dcs-union-station/ | access-date=February 21, 2025 | archive-date=December 16, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241216232357/https://wtop.com/dc/2024/07/what-riders-need-to-know-now-that-amtrak-has-taken-over-dcs-union-station/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=2024-07-29|title=Amtrak just took over Union Station. What does it mean for riders?|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/07/29/amtrak-union-station-dc/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240729201001/https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/07/29/amtrak-union-station-dc/|archive-date=July 29, 2024|access-date=2025-02-21|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en|url-status=live}}</ref> Though Amtrak agreed to pay $505 million for the station's leasehold in February 2025,<ref>{{cite web | last=Trombola | first=Nick | title=Amtrak to Pay $505M for D.C. Union Station Leasehold: Report | website=Commercial Observer | date=February 10, 2025 | url=https://commercialobserver.com/2025/02/amtrak-union-station-deal-505m/ | access-date=February 21, 2025 | archive-date=February 14, 2025 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250214103839/https://commercialobserver.com/2025/02/amtrak-union-station-deal-505m/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Weiner | first=Rachel | title=Amtrak agrees to pay $505 million for control of Union Station | newspaper=Washington Post | date=February 7, 2025 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/02/07/amtrak-union-station-deal/ | access-date=February 21, 2025}}</ref> the station's former operator USSM sued to prevent the agreement from being approved.<ref>{{cite web | title=Ashkenazy jilted by Amtrak's Union Station deal | website=The Real Deal | date=February 20, 2025 | url=https://therealdeal.com/national/washington-dc/2025/02/20/ashkenazy-jilted-by-amtraks-union-station-deal-in-dc/ | access-date=February 21, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Former Union Station leaseholder wants to stop $505M payout | website=Washington Business Journal | date=February 18, 2025 | url=https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2025/02/18/union-station-amtrak-eminent-domain-ashkenazy.html | access-date=February 21, 2025 | archive-date=February 18, 2025 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250218182154/https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2025/02/18/union-station-amtrak-eminent-domain-ashkenazy.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

In August 2025, a former lower-level storage track (Track 22) was reopened as a platform track for Amtrak and VRE use.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://media.amtrak.com/2025/08/amtrak-and-vre-trains-now-serving-new-boarding-platform-at-washington-union-station/ |title=Amtrak and VRE Trains Now Serving New Boarding Platform at Washington Union Station |date=August 6, 2025 |publisher=Amtrak}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Clabaugh |first=Jeff |date=2025-08-08 |title=Union Station's new Track 22 is open for business |url=https://wtop.com/business-finance/2025/08/union-stations-new-track-22-is-open-for-business/ |website=WTOP News |language=en}}</ref> On August 27, 2025, the [[Trump administration]] announced it would negotiate to resume direct federal management of non-railroad areas.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/08/28/nx-s1-5520588/dc-union-station-federal-government |title=The federal government is taking over D.C.'s Union Station. What does that mean? |date=August 28, 2025 |author=Rachel Treisman |publisher=[[NPR]]}}</ref>

==Architecture==
{{See also|Architecture of Washington, D.C.}}[[File:17-08-islcanus-RalfR-DSC 4757-PANORAMA.jpg|thumb|The central interior of Union Station in August 2017]]
Architect [[Daniel H. Burnham]], assisted by [[Graham, Anderson, Probst & White|Pierce Anderson]], was inspired by a number of [[architectural style]]s. [[Classical architecture|Classical]] elements included the [[Arch of Constantine]] (exterior, main façade) and the great vaulted spaces of the [[Baths of Diocletian]] (interior); prominent siting at the intersection of two of [[Pierre L'Enfant|Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant]]'s avenues, with an orientation that faced the [[United States Capitol]] just five blocks away; a massive scale, including a façade stretching more than {{convert|600|ft|m}} and a waiting room ceiling {{convert|96|ft|m}} above the floor; stone inscriptions and [[allegorical sculpture]] in the [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts style]]; expensive materials such as marble, [[gold leaf]] and white granite from a previously unused quarry.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Union Station|url=https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc80.htm|access-date=|website=National Park Service|archive-date=June 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170617013430/https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc80.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the [[Attic style|Attic]] block, above the main cornice of the central block, stand six colossal statues (modeled on the [[Dacia]]n prisoners of the Arch of Constantine) designed by [[Louis St. Gaudens]]. These are entitled "[[The Progress of Railroading]]" and their iconography expresses the confident enthusiasm of the [[American Renaissance]] movement:
* [[Prometheus]] (for Fire)
* [[Thales]] (for Electricity)
* [[Themis]] (for Freedom)
* [[Apollo]] (for Imagination)
* [[Ceres (Roman mythology)|Ceres]] (for Agriculture) 
* [[Archimedes]] (for Mechanics)
<gallery mode="packed">
File:One of six allegorical statues by sculptor Louis St. Gaudens on the façade of Union Station, Washington, D.C LCCN2011634754.tif|Prometheus (Fire)
File:One of six allegorical statues by sculptor Louis St. Gaudens that stand above the front façade of Union Station, Washington, D.C LCCN2011634255.tif|Thales (Electricity)
File:Saint Gaudens' "Agriculture," at Union Station, Washington, D.C LCCN2011631002.tif|Themis (Freedom)
File:Union Station statue, Ceres, Washington, D.C LCCN2010630343.tif|Ceres (Agriculture)
File:Louis St. Gaudens's allegorical Archimedes statue, representing the gift of mechanics, one of six on the parapet above the entrance to Washington D.C.'s Union Station LCCN2011634506.tif|Archimedes (Mechanics)
</gallery>

The substitution of Agriculture for Commerce in a railroad station iconography vividly conveys the power of a specifically American [[lobbying]] bloc.

St. Gaudens also created the 46 [[centurion]] statues for the station's main hall, one for each state in the Union at the time the station opened. Also referred to as Legionnaires, they are made of plaster and modelled after ancient Roman soldiers, symbolically guarding over all who travel through the halls of Union Station. Each of the statues' large shields were added shortly after their installation, following complaints regarding the centurions' nudity from the hips down.<ref>{{Cite web | title=The Secret Behind the Iconic Statues In Washington DC's Union Station - City Cast DC | url=https://dc.citycast.fm/history-archive/from-the-archives-the-secret-behind-union-station-s-statue-shields-dc | access-date=2025-08-17 | website=dc.citycast.fm | date=June 10, 2025 }}</ref>

Burnham drew upon a tradition, launched with the 1837 [[Euston railway station]] in London, of treating the entrance to a major terminal as a [[triumphal arch]]. He linked the monumental end pavilions with long arcades enclosing [[loggia]]s in a long series of bays that were vaulted with the lightweight fireproof [[Guastavino tile]]s favored by American Beaux-Arts architects. The final aspect owed much to the Court of Heroes at the [[World's Columbian Exposition]] of 1893 in Chicago, where Burnham had been coordinating architect.  The setting of Union Station's façade at the focus of converging avenues in a park-like green setting is one of the few executed achievements of the [[City Beautiful]] movement: elite city planning that was based on the "goosefoot" (''patte d'oie'') of formal garden plans made by [[Baroque]] designers such as [[André Le Nôtre]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2018}}

The station held a full range of dining rooms and other services, including [[barber]] shops and a mortuary.  Union Station was equipped with a presidential suite which is now occupied by a restaurant.{{Citation needed|date=April 2018}}

{{Wide image|Washington Union Station panoramic.jpg|1000px|Panoramic image of the great hall in June 2016}}

==Services==
[[File:Union station dc food court.jpg|thumb|The food court at Union Station in February 2006]]

=== Trains ===
Union Station is served by [[Amtrak]]'s high-speed ''[[Acela Express]]'', ''[[Northeast Regional (Amtrak)|Northeast Regional]]'', and several of Amtrak's [[long-distance Amtrak routes|long-distance]] trains (including, among others, the ''[[Floridian (train)|Floridian]]'', ''[[Crescent (train)|Crescent]]'', and ''[[Silver Service|Silver Meteor]]'' trains). From Union Station, Amtrak also operates long-distance services to the Southeast and Midwest, to destinations such as [[Chicago Union Station|Chicago]], [[Charlotte station (Amtrak)|Charlotte]], [[New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal|New Orleans]], and [[Miami station (Amtrak)|Miami]]. In 2024, an average of more than 70,000 passengers passed through the station each day.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=https://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/998/601/Amtrak-National-Fact-Sheet-FY2015,0.pdf |title=Amtrak National Fact Sheet: FY2015 |date=July 2016 |publisher=Amtrak |access-date=February 7, 2017 |archive-date=August 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820011533/https://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/998/601/Amtrak-National-Fact-Sheet-FY2015,0.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> It is also the busiest station that can handle [[Superliner (railcar)|Superliner]] railcars; inadequate tunnel clearances in Baltimore and New York preclude the use of Superliners on most Eastern routes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://site.ieee.org/wnv-aes/event/vts-viewliner-ii-amtraks-new-long-distance-fleet/ |title=VTS: Viewliner II: Amtrak's New Long-Distance Fleet |publisher=Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society |date=2019 |access-date=June 12, 2020 |archive-date=August 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828012849/https://site.ieee.org/wnv-aes/event/vts-viewliner-ii-amtraks-new-long-distance-fleet/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The station is the terminus for [[commuter train|commuter railways]] that link Washington to [[Maryland]] and [[West Virginia]] ([[MARC Train|MARC]]) and [[Northern Virginia]] ([[Virginia Railway Express]]). 
[[File:Union Station DC td 14 - Food Court.jpg|thumb|The food court from above in April 2018]]
The station's tracks are split between a ground level and a lower level. The ground level contains tracks 7–20 (tracks 1–6 no longer exist), which are served by high-level [[bay platform]]s at the door level of most trains. These tracks are used by all MARC commuter rail services, all Amtrak ''Acela Express'' trains, and Amtrak ''Northeast Regional'' trains that terminate at the station. All of the tracks on this level terminate at the station and are only used by trains arriving from and departing to the north.<ref name="Tracks">{{cite news|title=Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Washington Union Station Expansion Project Appendix B – WashingtonUnion Station Terminal Infrastructure EIS Report|url=https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/2020-06/Appendix%20B_Terminal%20Infrastructure%20Report_WUSDEIS_pdfa.pdf|publisher=U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration|year=2019|access-date=September 18, 2021|archive-date=December 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221003208/https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/2020-06/Appendix%20B_Terminal%20Infrastructure%20Report_WUSDEIS_pdfa.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

The lower level contains tracks 22–29, which are served by low-level platforms at the track level. These platforms are served by all VRE trains, all Amtrak long-distance trains, and Amtrak ''Northeast Regional'' trains that continue south to Virginia. Unlike the tracks on the upper level, the lower level tracks run through under the station building and Capitol Hill via the [[First Street Tunnel|First Street tunnel]]. Electrification ends at the station, and all trains continuing south through the tunnel must have their electric engines swapped out for diesel-electric locomotives. For example, when a southbound ''Northeast Regional'' train arrives on a lower-level platform on its way to [[Newport News (Amtrak station)|Newport News, Virginia]], its [[Siemens ACS-64]] electric engine is removed and set aside. A [[GE Genesis]] diesel engine that was earlier removed from a northbound train is coupled to the front of the southbound, and it continues through the tunnel toward Virginia. The ACS-64 is readied for a ''Northeast Regional'' arriving from [[Alexandria Union Station|Alexandria]], and once coupled pulls the train toward Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York or Boston.<ref name="Tracks"/>

=== Transit ===
[[File:Washington D.C. Union Station WMATA station platforms.jpg|thumb|Union Station platform in August 2023, serving [[Washington Metro]]’s [[Red Line (Washington Metro)|Red Line]]]]
A nearby [[Washington Metro]] [[Union Station (Washington Metro)|station]] connects to the [[Red Line (Washington Metro)|Red Line]]. The Metrorail station is underground beneath the western side of the building. Entrances are inside Union Station with direct access from the high-level MARC and Amtrak platforms, from the east side of First Street NE, or from just outside the station at Massachusetts Avenue NE, providing access to the main concourse.<ref>{{Cite web |url = https://www.wmata.com/rider-guide/stations/upload/evacuation/06.024.pdf |title = Station Vicinity Map: Union Station |website = WMATA |access-date = April 5, 2018 |archive-date = August 8, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210808213726/https://www.wmata.com/rider-guide/stations/upload/evacuation/06.024.pdf |url-status = live }}</ref>

{{anchor|DC Streetcar}} The [[DC Streetcar]]'s [[H Street/Benning Road Line]] serves the station from a stop on the H Street Bridge (a.k.a. the "Hopscotch Bridge") directly north of the station. The stop is accessible via the station's parking garage.<ref>{{cite news |last=Laris |first=Michael |date=February 27, 2016 |title=Want to ride the D.C. streetcar? Here's a handy FAQ. |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2016/02/27/want-to-ride-ride-the-d-c-streetcar-heres-a-handy-faq/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210202236/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2016/02/27/want-to-ride-ride-the-d-c-streetcar-heres-a-handy-faq/ |archive-date=February 10, 2022}}</ref>

{{Adjacent stations|system=DC Streetcar|line=H Street/Benning Road|right=3rd Street}}

=== Intercity buses ===
On August 1, 2011, [[John Porcari]], the [[United States Deputy Secretary of Transportation]], announced that [[Greyhound Lines]], [[BoltBus]], [[Megabus (North America)|Megabus]], and Washington Deluxe would begin operating intercity buses later that year from a new bus facility in the station's parking garage.<ref>{{cite news |last = Thomson |first = Robert |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/union-station-to-become-intercity-bus-center/2011/07/29/gIQAFcPwjI_story.html |title = Union Station to become intercity bus center |department = PostLocal |newspaper = The Washington Post |date = July 30, 2011 |access-date = August 2, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111017060731/http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/union-station-to-become-intercity-bus-center/2011/07/29/gIQAFcPwjI_story.html |archive-date = October 17, 2011 |url-status = live }}</ref>  By November 15, 2011, BoltBus, Megabus, Tripper Bus, and Washington Deluxe were operating from the new facility.<ref>{{cite news |agency = [[Associated Press]] |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/officials-to-inaugurate-revamped-bus-departure-zone-at-washingtons-union-station/2011/11/15/gIQAZJwiNN_story.html |title = Officials to inaugurate revamped bus departure zone at Washington's Union Station |department = PostLocal |newspaper = The Washington Post |date = November 15, 2011 |access-date = November 17, 2011 }}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> On September 26, 2012, Greyhound and [[Peter Pan Bus Lines]] moved all of their Washington, D.C., operations to the facility.<ref>{{cite press release |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140316035235/http://www.greyhound.com/en/newsroom/viewrelease.aspx?id=496&year=2012 |archive-date = March 16, 2014 |url = http://www.greyhound.com/en/newsroom/viewrelease.aspx?id=496&year=2012 |title = Greyhound and Peter Pan Bus Lines Relocate all Washington, D.C., Service to Union Station |location = Dallas Texas |publisher = [[Greyhound Lines]] |date = September 19, 2012 |access-date = November 24, 2012 |url-status = dead }}</ref> In 2017, [[OurBus]] began offering service from Union Station to Maryland, New Jersey, and New York. On August 16, 2024, Megabus discontinued service nationwide after the parent company filed for bankruptcy earlier in the year,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Church |first1=Steven |last2=Woodhouse |first2=Skylar |title=Bus Carrier Coach USA Goes Bankrupt After Ridership Drops |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-12/megabus-owner-coach-usa-files-bankruptcy-looks-to-sell-assets |access-date=23 August 2024 |publisher=Bloomberg |date=11 June 2024 |archive-date=June 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612033348/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-12/megabus-owner-coach-usa-files-bankruptcy-looks-to-sell-assets |url-status=live }}</ref> prompting [[Peter Pan Bus Lines|Peter Pan]] to take over the former's northeastern bus routes from Union Station.

=== Maintenance ===
The [[Ivy City]] Yard, just north of Union Station, houses a large Amtrak maintenance facility. This includes the new maintenance facility for the ''Acela'' high-speed train sets. Amtrak also does contract work for [[MARC Train|MARC]]'s electric locomotives. Metro's Brentwood maintenance facility is also in the southwest corner of the Ivy City Yard. Riders on the Metro Red Line between Union Station and Rhode Island Avenue Station get an aerial view of the south end of the Ivy City Yard.{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}}

==Owner==
{{Update section|date=August 2025}}
Union Station is owned by Amtrak and the [[United States Department of Transportation]]. The DOT owns the station building itself and the surrounding parking lots, while Amtrak owns the platforms and tracks through the [[Washington Terminal Company]]: a nearly wholly owned subsidiary (99.9% controlling interest).<ref name="greatamericanstations.com"/><ref>{{cite book |url = http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/873/115/Amtrak-Annual-Report-2014.pdf |title = Amtrak Annual Report, Fiscal Year 2014 |page = 49 |access-date = June 5, 2016 |archive-date = August 8, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210808213745/http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/873/115/Amtrak-Annual-Report-2014.pdf |url-status = live }}</ref>

<!--The non-profit Union Station Redevelopment Corporation managed the station on behalf of the owners, but an 84-year lease of the property is held by New York-based [[Ben Ashkenazy#Career|Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation]] and managed by Chicago-based [[JLL (company)|Jones Lang LaSalle]].<ref>{{Cite news |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/31/AR2007013102085.html |title = Union Station Is Leased to N.Y. Firm for $160 Million |last = Dana |first = Hedgpeth |date = February 1, 2007 |newspaper = The Washington Post |access-date = October 13, 2017 |archive-date = October 13, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171013173758/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/31/AR2007013102085.html |url-status = live }}</ref>-->

==In popular culture==
Washington Union Station has appeared in several movies and television shows. Among them are ''[[Mr. Smith Goes to Washington]]'' (1939), [[Strangers on a Train (film)|''Strangers on a Train'']] (1951), [[Don't Give Up the Ship (film)|''Don't Give Up the Ship'']] (1959), [[Hannibal (2001 film)|''Hannibal'']] (2001), [[Collateral Damage (2002 film)|''Collateral Damage'']] (2002), and [[Head of State (2003 film)|''Head of State'']] (2003).<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?locations=Union%20Station%20-%2050%20Massachusetts%20Avenue%20NE,%20Washington,%20District%20of%20Columbia,%20USA |work = IMDb |title = Filming Location Matching "Union Station - 50 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, District of Columbia, USA" |access-date = April 12, 2023 |archive-date = April 13, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230413005754/https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?locations=Union%20Station%20-%2050%20Massachusetts%20Avenue%20NE,%20Washington,%20District%20of%20Columbia,%20USA |url-status = live }}</ref>

[[File:Union Station Facade.jpg|thumb|Union Station Facade]]
==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Baist's real estate atlas of surveys of Washington, District of Columbia - Plate 12.tif|Map showing the impact of the railway tracks
File:Baist's real estate atlas of surveys of Washington, District of Columbia - Plate 13.tif|Map showing the impact of Union Station
File:The Proposed New Union Railway Depot, March 1902.png|A 1902 drawing of a proposal for the design of Union Station
File:Union Station Washington, D.C. 1906.tif|Union Station in 1906 before its opening. Notice the absence of the [[Columbus Fountain]]
File:UNION STATION UNDER CONSTRUCTION LOC hec.01618.jpg|Statue of Thales representing electricity being hoisted up
File:Grand Lobby, Union Station, Washington, D.C (NYPL b12647398-69895).tiff|Interior, Waiting Room ca. 1915
File:21 interior waiting room union station 030030pu.tif|Union Station's interior waiting room.
File:22. INTERIOR, TRAIN CONCOURSE, FROM WEST - Union Station030031pv.jpg|Interior of Union Station train concourse from West
File:3. SOUTH FRONT, MAIN ENTRANCE PAVILION, ELEVATION 1968 - Union Station 030012pv.jpg|South Front Entrance, 1968
File:8. DETAIL, WEST END OF MAIN ENTRANCE PAVILION, SHOWING STATUARY AND INSCRIPTION - Union Station030017pv.jpg|Detail of the west end of the main entrance pavilion, showing statuary and inscription
File:Great Hall, Washington Union Station (2024)-L1005585.jpg|Great Hall in June 2024
File:Interior of Union Station DC.jpg|Ceiling of the great hall in May 2023
File:East Hall, Washington Union Station (2024)-L1005594.jpg|East Hall in June 2024
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Transport|Trains|Engineering}}
* ''[[Freedom Bell, American Legion]],'' an artwork installed in front of Union Station
* [[List of busiest railway stations in North America]]
* [[Norwegian Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C.]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last = Goode |first = James W. |title = Capital Losses: A Cultural History of Washington's Destroyed Buildings |edition = 2nd |location = Washington, D.C. |publisher = Smithsonian Books |date = 2003 |isbn = 978-1-58834-105-1 |oclc = 800333753 }}
* {{cite web |url = http://www.washingtonunionstation.com/ |title = Now Arriving Washington: Union Station and Life in the Nation's Capital |last1 = Wright |first1 = Bill |access-date = August 6, 2006 |archive-date = March 8, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180308142743/http://washingtonunionstation.com/ |url-status = live }}
* {{cite magazine |date=December 4, 1903 |title=The Washington Union Station |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015013053841?urlappend=%3Bseq=906 |magazine=The Railroad Gazette |volume=XXXV |number=49 |hdl=2027/mdp.39015013053841?urlappend=%3Bseq=906 |access-date=October 25, 2020 |archive-date=March 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230319214239/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015013053841;seq=908 |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |date=January 2025 |title=Report to Congress: Fiscal Year 2024 Washington Union Station Project Governance and Execution Action Plan |url=https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/2025-01/Enclosure-FY24%20Wash.%20Union%20Station%20Project%20Governance%20_%20Execution%20Action%20Plan.pdf |publisher=Federal Railroad Administration}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Union Station (Washington, D.C.)}}
* {{Official website|https://www.unionstationdc.com/}}
* [https://www.usrcdc.com/ Union Station Redevelopment Corporation]
{{Amtrak web|WAS|Washington Union Station}}
* {{osmway|67100178}}
* [https://dcnrhs.org/learn/union-station/ Union Station, a brief history] – [[National Railway Historical Society]]
* [https://www.google.com/maps/@38.89662,-77.007517,3a,75y,46.9h,91.03t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sKDLGz8dx6FppMkObSdiv2w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en Station building from Google Maps Street View]

{{MARC Train}}
{{VRE}}
{{Washington DC landmarks}}
{{Registered Historic Places}}
{{DC Malls}}
{{Authority control}}

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