Union Station (Washington Metro)

Union Station
A Red Line train leaving the station
Location	701 1st Street, NE, Washington, D.C.
Coordinates	38°53′52��N 77°00′24″W / 38.897723°N 77.006745°W / 38.897723; -77.006745Coordinates: 38°53′52″N 77°00′24″W / 38.897723°N 77.006745°W / 38.897723; -77.006745
Owned by	WMATA
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Connections	Amtrak, VRE, MARC at Union Station DC Streetcar at Union Station Metrobus: 80, 96, 97, D6, D8, X1, X2, X8, X9 DC Circulator:   Georgetown–Union Station   Congress Heights – Union Station   National Mall MTA Maryland Bus: 903, 922 Loudoun County Transit PRTC OmniRide
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Bicycle facilities	23 racks
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	B03
History
Opened	March 27, 1976; 45 years ago (March 27, 1976)
Previous names	Union Station–Visitor Center
Passengers
2017	29,197 daily[1]  1.15%
Services
Preceding station Washington Metro Following station Judiciary Square toward Shady Grove Red Line NoMa–Gallaudet U toward Glenmont

Union Station is a Washington Metro station in Washington, D.C. on the Red Line. It has a single underground island platform.

The station is located in the Northeast quadrant of the city under the western end of Union Station, the main train station for Washington, where connections can be made to Amtrak intercity trains, as well as Virginia Railway Express and MARC commuter rail trains to suburbs in Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia.

The station was originally named "Union Station–Visitor Center" but when the National Visitor Center there failed, it was renamed Union Station. One or two pylons still read "Union Station-Visitor Center", and a number of older stations still display this name on signage.

Service began on March 27, 1976 with the opening of the Red Line. It is the busiest station in the Metrorail system, averaging 29,197 passengers per weekday as of May 2017.^[1]

History[]

After groundbreaking in 1969, the station opened as Union Station-Visitor Center (National Visitor Center) on March 27, 1976 with the rest of the Red Line.

Union Station had dirtier walls than most stations as trains brought in soot from diesel engines in Union Station, resulting in a dimmer station. In March 2017, it was announced the station would be painted white at a cost of $75,000–$100,000. This sparked a debate amongst riders, as preservationists did not like the irrevocable act of painting the brutalist cavern, while other riders liked the brightened stations and cleaner feels that resulted from the white paint.^[2]

Between January 15 to January 21, 2021, this station was closed because of security concerns due to the 2020 Inauguration.^[3]

Future improvements[]

The street-level entrance on First street, built into the existing retaining wall, will be rebuilt to ADA-compliant standards, adding more space for extra fare gates and connections between the platform and track level^[4]

Station layout[]

Like the other original stations of the Metro, Union Station sports coffered vaults of concrete in its ceiling.^[5] One end of the station has a lowered "box" cut out of the ceiling. The station features an island platform with two exits, one mid-platform mezzanine leading to the main hall of Union Station and Massachusetts Avenue and the one northern exit leading to 1st Street NE and to the main boarding concourse.

G	Street level	Exit/entrance, buses, rail connections at Union Station
P Platform level	Westbound	← toward Grosvenor–Strathmore or Shady Grove (Judiciary Square)
	Island platform
	Eastbound	→ toward Silver Spring or Glenmont (NoMa–Gallaudet U) →

Notable places nearby[]

Gallery[]

• 

  An old "Union Station-Visitor Center" sign on the station platform

• 

  The station in the process of being painted white in 2017

• 

  A train of Breda 3000 Series on the Red Line departing Union Station

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Union Station (WMATA station).

• WMATA Union Station page

• 1st Street entrance from Google Maps Street View