‘We think that we can manage the property better, bring in more tenants, bring in more revenue,’ Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
WASHINGTON—Federal officials will take over the management of Washington’s Union Station, which Amtrak now runs.
Amtrak is a federally chartered corporation operating as a for-profit entity, with the U.S. government as its controlling shareholder. The Epoch Times has reached out to Amtrak for comment.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the takeover during an event celebrating the launch of Amtrak’s NextGen Acela trains.
“He wants Union Station to be beautiful again,” Duffy said of President Donald Trump. “He wants transit to be safe again, and he wants our nation’s capital to be great again.”
Duffy said that the move is not a power play, noting that the Department of Transportation has owned Union Station since the early 1980s.
“We’ve always had it, but we think that we can manage the property better, bring in more tenants, bring in more revenue,” he said.
“And that revenue is going to allow us to make investments in this beautiful building. It needs investments.
“It’s been, I think, neglected for decades, and it’s showing its age. And again, we want to make this place beautiful, and the premier train station, not just in America, but the premier train station in the world. And that takes money.”
National Guard troops have been stationed outside Union Station, which is close to the Capitol, as the Trump administration has looked to crack down on crime in the District of Columbia. This has included a federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Duffy said robberies are down 52 percent in the district, while carjackings are down 38 percent. Overall, he said, violent crime has decreased by 40 percent.
Amtrak introduced its new line of Acela trains, which are high-speed and travel across the northeast United States.
“The launch of the new Acela is a critical starting point as we work to improve travel for millions of Americans,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation Steve Bradbury said in a statement. “Our nation’s capital should be putting our best foot forward.”
