Trump extends control over Washington by taking management of Union
Station away from Amtrak
[August 28, 2025] By
DARLENE SUPERVILLE
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration is taking
management of Union Station away from Amtrak in the latest example of
the federal government exerting its power over the nation’s capital.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the takeover Wednesday
alongside Amtrak President Roger Harris at Washington's main
transportation hub during the launch of an updated version of the rail
service's Acela train. The federal government owns Union Station, which
is near the Capitol.
Duffy said the station has “fallen into disrepair” when it should be a
“point of pride” for the District of Columbia. He said the Republican
administration's move would help beautify the landmark in an economical
way and was in line with Trump's vision.
“He wants Union Station to be beautiful again. He wants transit to be
safe again. And he wants our nation’s capital to be great again. And
today is part of that,” Duffy said.
It's Trump's latest attempt to put the city under his control. In recent
weeks, Trump has increased the number of federal law enforcement and
immigration agents on city streets while also taking over the
Metropolitan Police Department and activating thousands of National
Guard members. Last week, Trump said he wants $2 billion from Congress
to beautify Washington.
Duffy said the federal government can do a better job managing the train
station and attract more shops and restaurants and generate more revenue
that will be used to pay for upgrades to the station, which opened in
1907. Since then, the cavernous Roman-columned building has been through
multiple management changes and numerous ups and downs regarding its
cleanliness, safety and state of repair.
Mayor Muriel Bowser said upgrading the transit hub that serves various
rail lines and buses would be an “amazing initiative” for the federal
government to take on because the city cannot afford the cost.
“It has suffered from not being able to get the money that it needs for
the renovation,” the Democrat said at a separate news conference.
National Guard troops have patrolled in and around Union Station ever
since Trump announced the anti-crime effort this month. Vice President
JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were shouted down by
opponents of the federal intervention when they visited with troops
there last week.
[to top of second column] |
People walk to Union Station as District of Columbia National Guard
soldiers stand outside their M-ATV, Aug. 16, 2025, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
 Duffy had pressed Amtrak about crime
at the station in a March letter to its chief operating officer and
requested an updated plan on how it intended to improve public
safety there.
The deputy transportation secretary, Steve Bradbury, cited a new
roof and new public restrooms among $170 million in upgrades that he
said are needed at the station.
Amtrak's new high-speed train, the NextGen Acela, will start serving
the Northeast Corridor on Thursday, said Harris, Amtrak's president.
The trains can travel at speeds of up to 160 mph, about 10 mph
faster than the Acela train it is replacing. Duffy and the officials
from the Union Station event boarded one of the new trains afterward
for an inaugural ride to New York's Penn Station.
Union Station has had a history of ups and downs during its nearly
120-year history.
In 1981, after rain started pouring through the ceiling, the
National Park Service, which has jurisdiction over some of the area
surrounding the station, declared the building unsafe. The station
was closed for five years for renovation and President Ronald Reagan
signed the Union Station Redevelopment Act to help fund and organize
its comeback.
More recently, the building fell on relatively hard times during the
COVID pandemic. Foot traffic plummeted after passengers shunned mass
transit while multiple shops closed at the station. But the past
three years have witnessed a bit of a comeback.
The station has occasionally been a magnet for homeless individuals
seeking shelter inside or camping in tents on Columbus Circle in
front of the building. The proliferation of tents prompted the Park
Service to clear the encampment in front of the station in June
2022.
Control and management of the physical building also have shifted
over the years.
—-
Associated Press writer Ashraf Khalil contributed to this report.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
