USDOT says it will take over management duties for the commercial spaces managed by Amtrak since last year and address the building’s infrastructure needs.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced it will reclaim management of Washington, D.C.’s Union Station, reports Rachel Treisman for NPR.
Although USDOT has owned the station since the 1980s, it has historically been managed by the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation, a local nonprofit founded in 1983. Amtrak took over operations last year.
Now, USDOT says “strong direction is needed to restore this federal asset to its former glory,” and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser noted that the station needs roughly $8 billion in repairs, which the District cannot afford. Bowser said shifting management is “step one,” but that “If it's about what Union Station needs for its total transformation, that would be an amazing initiative for the federal government to take on.” USDOT says it will “maximize the retail revenue of the station, the revenue of the station as an event space” to get the station on “stable financial footing” and “will address the building's infrastructure needs, which include improvements to its elevators, lighting and security, as well as ‘replacing the roof and other major systems.’”
Union Station serves about 70,000 passengers per day on over 200 daily trains, including Amtrak and regional commuter lines.
Read the full story: The federal government is taking over D.C.'s Union Station. What does that mean?
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