Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Department of Transportation plans to bring private sector investment into its renovation of Washington Union Station in the District of Columbia, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced July 24.
- The DOT will invest $24 million to help develop a public-private partnership that would expand the station’s capacity, improve the passenger experience and expedite the project, according to a news release.
- Duffy previously announced a $466 million investment in the project, which will go to critical structural repairs, expanding the passenger concourse, improving security and adding “family-friendly infrastructure.”
Dive Insight:
The Union Station Redevelopment Corporation, a nonprofit established by Congress in 1983, had planned to renovate the station as part of a new transit-oriented development neighborhood under the Biden administration. The project was estimated to cost about $10 billion in 2022.
“We’re not just throwing money at the problem like the last administration did,” Duffy said in a statement. “We’re thinking strategically and creating a public-private partnership to deliver meaningful upgrades to Union Station, ensure long-term profitability for this gorgeous transportation monument, and better serve the millions of travelers who rely on this critical transit hub."
The DOT’s $24 million investment “allows us to partner with the private sector to engage the industry’s best ideas for the station’s future expansion through a vision that is both ambitious and achievable,” Doug Carr, president and CEO of the USRC, said in a statement.
Washington Union Station serves Amtrak along with Maryland and Virginia commuter trains. It also includes a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority bus and subway stop, as well as an intercity bus station.
Duffy said the project is part of President Donald Trump’s plan “to make D.C. beautiful and safe.” Upon completion, Amtrak is expected to relocate its headquarters to the station under a lease with the USRC.
The DOT did not provide a cost or timeline for the station project in the press release, and did not reply to a request for that information in time for publication.
