The Transportation Department (DOT) will take over management of Union Station in Washington, D.C. to improve its infrastructure and combat crime, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Wednesday.
The DOT partnered with Amtrak to improve Union Station’s infrastructure and strengthen security after the train station had become “dilapidated” in the past 40 years, according to a DOT press release. This new move is part of a larger effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to aggressively reduce crime and homelessness throughout Washington, D.C.
“I think the president has been pretty clear on what he wants for Union Station, for American travel, for train travel. 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, we accomplish all of that,” Duffy said during a “ACELA-bration” launch.
Join me live from Union Station for the ACELA-bration launch of @Amtrak’s high-speed rail service.
It’s going to be quite the ride! https://t.co/ttLgZQJlYg
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) August 27, 2025
The DOT’s control over the iconic train station has been reduced over the last 40 years due to “various agreements and leases,” according to the press release. The Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC) had control over the parking structure but received little revenue to keep the station in “good repair.”
Amtrak acquired a sublease from USRC to allow for retail income to go toward the station’s infrastructure, according to the press release.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Duffy’s leadership, USDOT will now leverage the valuable commercial aspects of Union Station, under the direct management of USRC, to reinvest in Union Station,” the press release states. “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 administration has taken strides to improve the quality of the landmark station by deploying the National Guard to the area to protect civilians in the area. Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller visited Union Station on Aug. 20 to view the progress on Trump’s crime crackdown.
During the visit, Vance pointed to the “obvious” fact that Washington has a “terrible crime problem” and that the nation’s capital must be freed from one of the highest murder rates in the U.S.
Since Trump’s federal takeover on Aug. 7, law enforcement made 1,094 arrests and seized 115 illegal guns as of Tuesday, U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. Jeanine Pirro confirmed. Only one murder has taken place in the nation’s capital since the administration’s crackdown.
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