Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy strips Amtrak of Union Station management, cites crime and neglect

“Union Station has fallen into disrepair when it should be a point of pride for the city,” Duffy said in a statement ahead of the launch of Amtrak’s NextGen Acela high-speed train. “By reclaiming station management, we will help make this city safe and beautiful at a fraction of the cost.”

Amtrak pressured on safety

Duffy’s decision follows his March letter to Amtrak, pressing the rail operator about crime at Union Station and demanding an updated public safety plan.

The secretary outlined plans for upgrades including a new roof, improved lighting, modernized elevators and stronger security measures.

At Wednesday’s unveiling of the NextGen Acela, the secretary said the administration’s long-term goal is to transform Union Station into a “world-class transit hub” while restoring security and civic pride.

Federal push for control in DC

Union Station, opened in 1907, has been government-owned since the 1980s but operationally managed by Amtrak. Wednesday’s move shifts control to the administration, in line with Trump’s broader efforts to assert authority over Washington.

Duffy emphasised the symbolic importance of the project: “Washington Union Station has become dilapidated. It is known more as a center for vagrancy than a hub for commerce and travel. We are going to make the investments to ensure this station isn’t dirty and that homelessness doesn’t define it.”

Trump’s vision for Washington

Duffy linked the move to President Donald Trump’s broader push to revamp the city. “He wants Union Station to be beautiful again. He wants transit to be safe again. And he wants our nation’s capital to be great again. And today is part of that,” the secretary told reporters at the event.

The announcement comes after Trump last week asked Congress for $2 billion to beautify Washington, part of his crackdown on violent crime in the city. Thousands of National Guard troops and federal law enforcement officials had been deployed to the capital under the initiative.

Crime debate continues

While local police statistics show violent crime in Washington has declined in recent years, Trump has repeatedly claimed that the figures were “fudged.”

National Guard troops have been patrolling Union Station since the anti-crime operation began earlier this month. Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were shouted down by opponents of the federal intervention during a visit with troops there last week.