The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) plans to reclaim management of Washington Union Station, one of the country's biggest rail hubs, after Trump administration officials raised safety concerns.
"The department is renegotiating a cooperative agreement with the non-profit Union Station Redevelopment Corporation, which controls the station, and Amtrak," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement on Wednesday. A formal action confirming the USDOT's renewed control of Union Station is expected in September, he said.
National Guard troops have guarded sites including Union Station. US Vice President JD Vance visited soldiers at the station last week.
The plan to reclaim Union Station follows Trump's move this month to deploy hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington after he took control of the local police department over the objections of local leaders.
In March, the White House forced the Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner, to step down following orders by US President Donald Trump.
Trump, during his first term, repeatedly sought to cut funding to Amtrak, which received about $2.4 billion in annual federal support in 2023. In March, Congress approved $2.42 billion for Amtrak through 30 September in annual funding.
The railroad company, which is currently being run by its president Roger Harris, has not named a new CEO. It set a new passenger record last year.
Amtrak
On Wednesday, Amtrak will unveil new high-speed Acela trains on the busy Northeast Corridor, linking Boston to Washington, the busiest US rail corridor with 800,000 daily trips in a region representing 20% of the US economy.
{{/usCountry}}On Wednesday, Amtrak will unveil new high-speed Acela trains on the busy Northeast Corridor, linking Boston to Washington, the busiest US rail corridor with 800,000 daily trips in a region representing 20% of the US economy.
{{/usCountry}}The new trains can run at speeds up to 160 miles per hour, about 10 miles faster than the current trains, but they will initially only be able to run at that faster speed on a very limited portion of track until additional works are undertaken.
The new train sets built by Alstom SA in the US will have 27% more seating per train. Last week, the Trump administration said it was hiking metals tariffs on imported railcars.
In April, USDOT said it would withdraw the Metropolitan Transportation Authority from leading the Penn Station Reconstruction project in New York City. Amtrak, backed by the USDOT, will now oversee the project in midtown Manhattan.
With inputs from Reuters.