by Brianna Crandall — August 24, 2012—North American passenger train service provider Amtrak recently released a Master Plan that offers a visionary and practical approach to revitalize the terminal at Union Station in Washington, DC, also the corporation’s headquarters. The plan envisions dramatically improved facilities that are modern, safe, and secure, and that will accommodate three times as many passengers and twice as many trains, all within the same footprint and preserving Union Station’s historic architectural design.
Developed in coordination with other stakeholders including the U.S. Department of Transportation, Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC), Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Virginia Railway Express, Maryland Transit Administration, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and Akridge, the Master Plan lays the groundwork for an expanded and greatly improved intermodal station designed to increase capacity to accommodate future service expansion, deliver the highest quality passenger experience, and provide robust support to local and regional economic growth.
The heart of the plan is the creation of a new train shed that will welcome passengers to the nation’s capital, bring natural light to station spaces, and better organize the connections to Amtrak, commuter rail, transit and other transportation services. New passenger concourses, along with a series of new street entrances, will be seamlessly integrated with the existing station, enabling passengers and visitors to easily access the entire station complex and adjoining neighborhoods while experiencing improved amenities and expanded retail opportunities.
The estimated cost for the Master Plan is between $6.5 and $7.5 billion ($2012). In addition to creating a world-class facility with ample capacity for future high-speed, intercity and commuter rail service growth, the project is estimated to generate a total of $14.3 billion ($2012) in regional economic benefit through direct construction expenditures over 15 to 20 years and other related economic impact. It also will help to create significant public spaces that can be enjoyed for decades and bring together the adjoining neighborhoods that are now cut off from one another.
Importantly, the plan also makes possible the accommodation of tracks, platforms and concourses to support a new Next Generation High-Speed Rail (NextGen HSR) concourse below the existing station platforms to keep pace with the growth projections and plans outlined in the recently released The Amtrak Vision for the Northeast Corridor: 2012 Update Report. This future lower-level concourse could allow for a potential NextGen HSR extension south of Washington to connect with the proposed Southeast HSR Corridor.
In addition, the Master Plan includes a public-private partnership to build three million square feet of mixed-use development for Burnham Place, which is envisioned as a major commercial, retail and residential center. Since purchasing the air rights over the Union Station rail yard in 2006, Akridge has worked in close partnership with Amtrak and USRC for nearly four years on planning and design of the project.
Washington’s Union Station was designed by Daniel Burnham and opened in 1907. The station is the second busiest in the Amtrak system, serving as the conduit for several long-distance and regional trains. It also serves as the anchor for MARC and Virginia Railway Express commuter service, and provides connections to Metro transit and multiple bus services along with access to two bicycle facilities. The station will soon provide service to the DC Streetcar line that is currently under construction. The station is currently operating beyond its capacity, says Amtrak, serving 100,000 passenger trips and 200 trains per day.
Amtrak is “America’s Railroad,” the nation’s intercity passenger rail service and its high-speed rail operator. A record 30.2 million passengers traveled on Amtrak in FY 2011 on more than 300 daily trains that connect 46 states, the District of Columbia and three Canadian Provinces.
