The Trump administration is planning to take over Washington, D.C.’s Union Station, the Transportation Department said on Wednesday.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed in a statement that DOT was renegotiating a cooperative agreement with Union Station Redevelopment Corporation, which controls the station, and Amtrak, Reuters reported. The formal action confirming the department’s renewed control of Union Station is expected in September, he added.
The Trump administration’s plan to take control of Union Station comes after the president deployed National Guardsmen to the capital and took over the Metropolitan Police Department earlier this month to crack down on crime.
Last week, Vice President JD Vance visited soldiers guarding the station.
DOT in April said it would withdraw the Metropolitan Transportation Authority from leading the Penn Station Reconstruction project in New York City. Instead, Amtrak, backed by the department, will oversee the project in Manhattan.
The White House reportedly forced Amtrak’s CEO to resign. The railroad company has since been run by its president, Roger Harris.
On Wednesday, Amtrak is to unveil new high-speed Acela trains for the Boston to D.C. route, the busiest rail corridor in the U.S.
