Trump administration takes control of Washington Union Station

Aug. 27 (UPI) — The U.S. Department of Transportation announced it will revamp the Washington, D.C., Union Station transportation hub in a move directed by President Donald Trump.

The DOT, under Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, announced in a press release it “will now leverage the valuable commercial aspects of Union Station, under the direct management of [Union Station Redevelopment Corporation], to reinvest in Union Station.”

“The capital needs of Union Station include improvements to elevators, lighting, and security along with enhancements to the passenger experience and replacing the roof and other major systems,” the release notes.

“We think we can manage the property better,” Duffy said in a clip posted to X. “Bring in more tenants. Bring in more revenue. And that revenue is going to allow us to make investments in this beautiful building.”

“It’s been neglected for decades, and it’s showing its age,” Duffy then alleged.

“And we want to make this place beautiful, and the premiere train station, not just in America but the premiere train station in the world,” he concluded.

The DOT release states it has owned Union Station since the 1980s but purports its control of the site was reduced by leases and agreements. It also claims that the station “has become dilapidated,” and is now “known more as a center for vagrancy than a hub for commerce and travel.”

The station was already on the rise as of last year, when Amtrak took control of the retail side of the building through eminent domain, and since that point new retail opportunities have opened there.

“We have a great advantage in the fact that it’s owned by Amtrak,” said Deputy Secretary of Transportation Steve Bradbury in a statement. “We have the ability to really take control of the project and really push it forward on ‘Trump time,’ if you will.”

Duffy made his comments at Union Station Wednesday as he marked Amtrak’s launch of new, American made NextGen Acela high-speed trainsets that run from the District to New York and Boston, plus destinations in between.