WASHINGTON — Amtrak on Monday announced plans for renovations and operational improvements at Washington Union Station as a result of a court ruling granting it control of the station.
As of Monday, July 29, the passenger rail company is responsible for the day-to-day management and operations of the station, and said it will immediately initiate work to address safety, security, repair, and maintenance of the structure. That work will take place in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration, which represents the building’s owner, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Union Station Redevelopment Corp., which leases the structure from the DOT.
Immediate plans for the station — Amtrak’s second busiest — include adding a customer service information booth in the Main Hall and expanded digital and directional signage. Also to be introduced over time is additional customer seating and modified boarding procedures to reduce congestion.
“Washington Union Station is a major transportation hub, tourist destination, and a key asset of our core business,” Amtrak President Roger Harris said in a press release. “Amtrak has the experience and vision to create a safer and more welcoming environment for travelers and other visitors and ensure the vitality and longevity of this iconic building.”
Amtrak went to federal court in 2022, invoking eminent domain to request control of the station from a sublease holder, saying the station needed some $75 million in deferred maintenance and that company, Union Station Investco LLC, had rejected Amtrak proposals for improvements [see “Amtrak seeks control …,” Trains News Wire, April 18, 2022]. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled in Amtrak’s favor in April, saying the move “is necessary for intercity rail transportation.”
The Washington Post reports the decision means Amtrak is responsible for such matters as janitorial services and management of the building’s commercial space. Harris told the Post that the building may be reconfigured so vacant commercial space is moved to accommodate the new boarding procedures, although that is still being worked out.
Amtrak and USI must still work out fair compensation for the sublease, which was to run through 2084. Amtrak has proposed $250 million; USI has set a figure almost three times that amount. And USI’s parent company, Rexmark, has filed an appeal of the April decision.
