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WASHINGTON – The Transportation Bureau plans to regain control of the capital’s Union Station Railroad, Metro and Bus Hub as part of an increase in the Trump administration’s D.C. control to combat crime and homeless camps.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy announced the August 27 move after President Donald Trump took control of the police station and mobilized hundreds of National Guard troops, including Union Station, to DC.
The division, which already owns Union Station, is renegotiating a partnership agreement with the non-profit Union Station Redevelopment Corporation and Amtrak, which leass the station. New control of the federal government’s iconic station, which Duffy said has been ignored for decades, is expected in September.
“We will make the investment to make sure this station is clean and we will make sure that Union Station is not homeless,” Duffy told reporters at a press conference. “It’s not a power play. We’ve always had it. But I think we can manage the properties better.”
Union Station serves as a hub for Amtrak Railroad Services, a subway for Washington Metropolitan Transportation, and a local bus route. With over 5.6 million train passengers in 2024, Union Station is the second busiest Amtrak station in the country behind New York’s Moynihan Railway Hall at Penn Station.
However, the station in front of the Capitol also serves as a magnet for the homeless encampment that federal authorities removed. Duffy raised concerns about crime at Union Station in March, saying Amtrak must lease the station and provide a plan to reduce and prevent crime at the station.
“The president is very concerned about crime in our country’s capital,” Duffy said. “He wants a capital worthy of the greatest nation that has ever existed on the surface of the earth. This means a capital with clean, safe, and no parks that are not overtaken by the homeless.”
The White House forced Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner to step down in March after leading the railroad for four years. The railroad has since been run by President Roger Harris and has not been appointed as the new CEO.
“It’s time for Amtrak leadership to clean up Union Station,” Duffy said at the time. “Now is the time to remove the treasures of homelessness and crime in our country. Commuters and travelers need to feel safe in our capital.”
Adopting greater federal control of the station is part of Trump’s overall goal of reducing DC’s crime and glorifying the capital. Vice President JD Vance visited Union Station along with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, thanking the troops for the patrol and giving them a burger.
Stephen Miller VilifififififififififififiDc Protesters in Union Station Speech
Stephen Miller, Pete Hegses and JD Vance defended Trump’s DC crackdown and dismissed protesters for racially and politically charged remarks.
Former Senator Vance complained about an incident that someone yelled at his son while walking around Union Station a few years ago. However, with the arrival of the National Guard he said the station was safe for parents to take their children.
Contribution: Reuters
