The Trump administration reportedly announced Wednesday that it will assume direct management of Washington’s Union Station, a move officials described as part of President Donald J. Trump’s broader effort to restore order and dignity to the nation’s capital.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, speaking as he unveiled the new high-speed Acela trains entering service this week, said the landmark station had become emblematic of the District’s decline. “Instead of being a point of pride, Washington’s Union Station has fallen into disrepair,” he said in a statement. “By reclaiming station management, we will help make this city safe and beautiful at a fraction of the cost.”
Union Station, located steps from the U.S. Capitol, has long been a critical transit hub for Amtrak, buses, and the city’s Metro system, in addition to housing retail space.
While the Department of Transportation has owned the property since the 1980s, its day-to-day management has been handled by various outside entities.
Officials confirmed they are renegotiating an agreement with Amtrak and the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation to allow the department to take the lead.
The change is expected to be formalized in September. The department said it intends to reinvest directly in the facility, targeting long-overdue upgrades to elevators, lighting, security, and roofing.
Deputy Transportation Secretary Steve Bradbury emphasized the administration’s determination to transform the facility. “I look forward to working closely with our team at Amtrak and the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation to focus our attention on Union Station and make it a world class transit hub,” he said. “Our nation’s capital should be putting our best foot forward.”
Administration officials have cast Union Station’s deterioration as symbolic of Washington’s struggles with crime, disorder, and homelessness.
Earlier this month, Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller met with National Guard troops stationed outside the terminal, underscoring the security challenges around the once-celebrated landmark.
The move fits into a larger pattern of the president asserting federal authority over the District of Columbia, arguing that local leadership has failed to provide residents and visitors with a safe, functioning city.
The administration has already taken control of the Metropolitan Police Department and deployed National Guard units throughout the capital as part of what it calls a crackdown on crime.
Mr. Trump has also expanded his oversight into cultural and civic institutions. He recently took over the board at the Kennedy Center and announced he would ask Congress for $2 billion to upgrade the District’s streetlights, roads, and other public infrastructure.
Officials say the effort is designed not only to improve safety but to restore pride in the capital’s appearance.
For conservatives, the Union Station decision underscores the administration’s determination to reverse what it portrays as years of neglect and mismanagement in Washington.
By reclaiming federal assets and directing resources toward visible improvements, the president has framed his intervention as both a practical necessity and a symbolic commitment to making the capital, in his words, “safe and beautiful.”
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