US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Wednesday that his department is taking management of Union Station, the main transport hub in Washington, away from Amtrak, in another example of how the federal government is exerting its power over the nation’s capital.
Duffy made the announcement in a statement before he was to join Amtrak President Roger Harris at Union Station for the launch of the NextGen Acela, the rail service’s new high-speed train.
The secretary said Union Station, located within walking distance of the US Capitol, had “fallen into disrepair” when it should be a “point of pride” for the city.
“By reclaiming station management, we will help make this city safe and beautiful at a fraction of the cost,” Duffy said.
Duffy’s words echoed US President Donald Trump, who said last week that he wants US$2 billion from Congress to beautify Washington as part of his crackdown on the city. The Republican president has sent thousands of National Guard troops and federal law enforcement officials into Washington in a bid to fight violent crime that he claimed had strangled the city.
Local police department statistics show that violent crime in Washington has declined in recent years, but Trump has countered, without offering evidence, that the numbers were fudged.
National Guard troops have been on patrol inside and outside Union Station after Trump launched the anti-crime effort earlier this month. Vice-President J.D. Vance and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth were shouted down by opponents of the federal intervention when they visited with troops there last week.
During Wednesday’s train unveiling, Duffy will also talk about what the administration is doing to turn Union Station into a world-class transit hub, according to a Transportation Department news advisory.
Duffy had pressed Amtrak about crime at Union Station in a March letter to its chief operating officer and requested an updated plan on how it intended to improve public safety there.
