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Union Station (Washington Metro)

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Union Station
WMATA Red.svg
2010 02 24 - 2055 - Washington DC - Union Station.jpg
A Red Line train leaving the station
General information
Location701 1st Street, NE, Washington, D.C.
Coordinates38°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 byWMATA
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsMainline rail interchange Amtrak, VRE, MARC
at Union Station
DC Streetcar DC Streetcar
at Union Station
Bus transport Metrobus: 80, 96, 97, D6, D8, X1, X2, X8, X9
Bus transport DC Circulator:
  GeorgetownUnion Station
  Congress HeightsUnion Station
  National Mall
Bus transport MTA Maryland Bus: 903, 922
Bus transport Loudoun County Transit
Bus transport PRTC OmniRide
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
Bicycle facilitiesCapital Bikeshare and 23 racks
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Station codeB03
History
OpenedMarch 27, 1976; 46 years ago (March 27, 1976)
Previous namesUnion Station–Visitor Center
Passengers
20227,315 daily[1]
Rank3rd
Services
Preceding station WMATA Metro Logo.svg Washington Metro Following station
Judiciary Square Red Line NoMa–Gallaudet U
toward Glenmont
Location

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.[2]

Discover more about Union Station (Washington Metro) related topics

Washington Metro

Washington Metro

The Washington Metro, often abbreviated as the Metro and formally the Metrorail, is a rapid transit system serving the Washington metropolitan area of the United States. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), which also operates the Metrobus service under the Metro name. Opened in 1976, the network now includes six lines, 97 stations, and 129 miles (208 km) of route.

Metro station

Metro station

A metro station or subway station is a train station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase tickets, board trains, and evacuate the system in the case of an emergency. In the United Kingdom, they are known as underground stations, most commonly used in reference to the London Underground.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is located on the east bank of the Potomac River, which forms its southwestern border with Virginia, and borders Maryland to its north and east. The city was named for George Washington, a Founding Father, commanding general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and the district is named for Columbia, the female personification of the nation.

Red Line (Washington Metro)

Red Line (Washington Metro)

The Red Line is a rapid transit line of the Washington Metro system, consisting of 27 stations in Montgomery County, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., in the United States. It is a primary line through downtown Washington and the oldest and busiest line in the system. It forms a long, narrow "U", capped by its terminal stations at Shady Grove and Glenmont.

Island platform

Island platform

An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on twin-track routes due to pragmatic and cost reasons. They are also useful within larger stations where local and express services for the same direction of travel can be provided from opposite sides of the same platform thereby simplifying transfers between the two tracks. An alternative arrangement is to position side platforms on either side of the tracks. The historical use of island platforms depends greatly upon the location. In the United Kingdom the use of island platforms is relatively common when the railway line is in a cutting or raised on an embankment, as this makes it easier to provide access to the platform without walking across the tracks.

Amtrak

Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak, is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. states and three Canadian provinces. Amtrak is a portmanteau of the words America and trak, the latter itself a sensational spelling of track.

Virginia Railway Express

Virginia Railway Express

Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is a commuter rail service that connects outlying small cities of Northern Virginia to Union Station in Washington, D.C. It operates two lines which run during weekday rush hour only: the Fredericksburg Line from Fredericksburg, Virginia, and the Manassas Line from Broad Run station in Bristow, Virginia. In 2021, the system had a ridership of 530,700, or about 5,600 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2022.

MARC Train

MARC Train

MARC is a commuter rail system in the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. MARC is administered by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) and operated under contract by Alstom and Amtrak on track owned by CSX Transportation (CSXT) and Amtrak. In 2021, the system had a ridership of 1,291,900, or about 9,100 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2022, much less than the pre-pandemic daily ridership of 40,000 per weekday.

Commuter rail

Commuter rail

Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Commuter rail systems are considered heavy rail, using electrified or diesel trains. Distance charges or zone pricing may be used.

National Visitor Center

National Visitor Center

The National Visitor Center was an ill-fated attempt to repurpose Washington, D.C.'s Union Station as an information center for tourists visiting the United States Capitol and other Washington attractions. It opened for the Bicentennial celebrations in 1976, but it never was able to attract enough crowds to sustain its operating costs, and it closed in 1978.

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.[3]

Between January 15 to January 21, 2021, this station was closed because of security concerns due to the 2020 Inauguration.[4]

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.[5]

Station layout

Like the other original stations of the Metro, Union Station sports coffered vaults of concrete in its ceiling.[6] 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 WMATA Red.svg toward Grosvenor–Strathmore or Shady Grove (Judiciary Square)
Island platform
Eastbound WMATA Red.svg toward Silver Spring or Glenmont (NoMa–Gallaudet U)

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Coffer

Coffer

A coffer in architecture is a series of sunken panels in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault. A series of these sunken panels was often used as decoration for a ceiling or a vault, also called caissons ("boxes"), or lacunaria, so that a coffered ceiling can be called a lacunar ceiling: the strength of the structure is in the framework of the coffers.

Island platform

Island platform

An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on twin-track routes due to pragmatic and cost reasons. They are also useful within larger stations where local and express services for the same direction of travel can be provided from opposite sides of the same platform thereby simplifying transfers between the two tracks. An alternative arrangement is to position side platforms on either side of the tracks. The historical use of island platforms depends greatly upon the location. In the United Kingdom the use of island platforms is relatively common when the railway line is in a cutting or raised on an embankment, as this makes it easier to provide access to the platform without walking across the tracks.

Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.)

Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.)

Massachusetts Avenue is a major diagonal transverse road in Washington, D.C., and the Massachusetts Avenue Historic District is a historic district that includes part of it.

Washington Union Station

Washington Union Station

Washington Union Station is a major train station, transportation hub, and leisure destination in Washington, D.C. Designed by Daniel Burnham and opened in 1907, it is Amtrak's headquarters, the railroad's second-busiest station, and North America's ninth-busiest railroad station. The station is the southern terminus of the Northeast Corridor, an electrified rail line extending north through major cities including Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston, and the busiest passenger rail line in the nation. In 2015, it served just under 5 million passengers.

Red Line (Washington Metro)

Red Line (Washington Metro)

The Red Line is a rapid transit line of the Washington Metro system, consisting of 27 stations in Montgomery County, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., in the United States. It is a primary line through downtown Washington and the oldest and busiest line in the system. It forms a long, narrow "U", capped by its terminal stations at Shady Grove and Glenmont.

Grosvenor–Strathmore station

Grosvenor–Strathmore station

Grosvenor–Strathmore is a rapid transit station on the Red Line of the Washington Metro in North Bethesda, Maryland. Grosvenor–Strathmore is the last above-ground station for Glenmont-bound Red Line trains until NoMa-Gallaudet U; south of the station, trains cross over the Capital Beltway before descending underground. It is one of a number of stations on the Rockville Pike corridor in Montgomery County.

Shady Grove station

Shady Grove station

Shady Grove is a Washington Metro station in Derwood in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The station was opened on December 15, 1984 as part of a four-stop extension of the line from Grosvenor–Strathmore station out to Shady Grove. The station is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).

Judiciary Square station

Judiciary Square station

Judiciary Square is a Washington Metro station in Washington, D.C. on the Red Line. It is located in the Judiciary Square neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of the city, with entrances at 4th and D Street and 5th and F Street. It serves the many courthouses and municipal buildings in the area. The 5th and F Street entrance is located in the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, which incorporates the escalators and elevators into its architecture.

Silver Spring station (Maryland)

Silver Spring station (Maryland)

Silver Spring is a Washington Metro and MARC Train station in Montgomery County, Maryland on the Red Line and Brunswick Line. On the Metro, Silver Spring is the first station in Maryland of the eastern end of the Red Line, and is the second-busiest Metro station in Maryland after Shady Grove. North of this station, it goes underground as it heads towards the underground terminus of Glenmont.

Glenmont station

Glenmont station

Glenmont is a Washington Metro station in Montgomery County, Maryland on the Red Line. It is the northern terminus of the Red Line.

NoMa–Gallaudet U station

NoMa–Gallaudet U station

NoMa–Gallaudet U is an elevated, island platformed station on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) Metro system. It is located on the same embankment as the Amtrak tracks into Union Station. It serves the Red Line, and is situated between Union Station and Rhode Island Avenue–Brentwood stations. NoMa–Gallaudet U is located near the intersection of New York Avenue and Florida Avenue in Northeast Washington, D.C. The station is within the NoMa neighborhood, which is both residential and commercial, and the station itself is in a commercial district on Florida Avenue. The station opened under the name New York Ave–Florida Ave–Gallaudet U on November 20, 2004, as both the system's first infill station and as the first to be built with a mix of public and private funds. Additionally, a portion of the Metropolitan Branch Trail was completed as part of its construction.

Notable places nearby

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C-SPAN

C-SPAN

Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network is an American cable and satellite television network, created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises proceedings of the United States federal government and other public affairs programming. C-SPAN is a private, nonprofit organization funded by its cable and satellite affiliates. It does not have advertisements on any of its networks or radio stations, nor does it solicit donations or pledges. The network operates independently; the cable industry and the U.S. Congress have no control over its programming content.

CNN

CNN

CNN is a multinational news channel and website headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the Manhattan-based media conglomerate Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), CNN was the first television channel to provide 24-hour news coverage and the first all-news television channel in the United States.

Columbus Circle (Washington, D.C.)

Columbus Circle (Washington, D.C.)

Columbus Circle, also known as Union Station Plaza or Columbus Plaza, is a traffic circle at the intersection of Delaware, Louisiana and Massachusetts Avenues and E and First Streets, Northeast in Washington, D.C. It is located in front of Union Station right next to the grounds of the United States Capitol. Union Station and its access roads interrupt this circle on one side, forming an arc.

Dirksen Senate Office Building

Dirksen Senate Office Building

The Dirksen Senate Office Building is the second office building constructed for members of the United States Senate in Washington, D.C., and was named for the late Minority Leader Everett Dirksen from Illinois in 1972.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the United States federal agency that regulates the transmission and wholesale sale of electricity and natural gas in interstate commerce and regulates the transportation of oil by pipeline in interstate commerce. FERC also reviews proposals to build interstate natural gas pipelines, natural gas storage projects, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, in addition to licensing non-federal hydropower projects.

Folger Shakespeare Library

Folger Shakespeare Library

The Folger Shakespeare Library is an independent research library on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., United States. It has the world's largest collection of the printed works of William Shakespeare, and is a primary repository for rare materials from the early modern period (1500–1750) in Britain and Europe. The library was established by Henry Clay Folger in association with his wife, Emily Jordan Folger. It opened in 1932, two years after his death.

Georgetown University Law Center

Georgetown University Law Center

The Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and the most applied to, receiving more full-time applications than any other law school in the country.

Gonzaga College High School

Gonzaga College High School

Gonzaga College High School is a private Catholic college-preparatory high school for boys in Washington, D.C. Founded by the Jesuits in 1821 as the Washington Seminary, Gonzaga is named in honor of Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian saint from the 16th century. Gonzaga is the oldest boys' high school in the District of Columbia.

Hart Senate Office Building

Hart Senate Office Building

The Philip A. Hart Senate Office Building is the third U.S. Senate office building, and is located on 2nd Street NE between Constitution Avenue NE and C Street NE in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Construction began in January 1975, and it was first occupied in November 1982. Rapidly rising construction costs plagued the building, creating several scandals. The structure is named for Philip Hart, who served 18 years as a senator from Michigan. Accessed via a spur of the United States Capitol Subway System, the building features a nine-story atrium dominated by massive artwork, and a large Central Hearing Facility which provides television facilities as well as extensive seating.

Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II

Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II

The Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II is a National Park Service site to commemorate the contributions of American citizens of Japanese ancestry and their parents who patriotically supported the United States despite unjust treatment during World War II.

National Guard Memorial Museum

National Guard Memorial Museum

The National Guard Memorial Museum is a military museum hosted by the National Guard Educational Foundation. It is located in northwestern Washington, DC, near the National Postal Museum, Union Station and Georgetown University Law Center. Covering 5600 square feet, the museum features six different thematic galleries all relating to the National Guard of the United States:Militia Era The National Guard Comes of Age The Citizen Soldier in World War II Cold War Era National Guard in the Modern Era Closing Sequence.

National Postal Museum

National Postal Museum

The National Postal Museum, located opposite Union Station in Washington, D.C., United States, covers large portions of the Postal history of the United States and other countries. It was established through joint agreement between the United States Postal Service and the Smithsonian Institution and opened in 1993.

Gallery

Source: "Union Station (Washington Metro)", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, February 9th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_(Washington_Metro).

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References
  1. ^ "Rail Ridership Data Viewer". WMATA. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  2. ^ "Metrorail Average Weekday Passenger Boardings" (PDF). Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. May 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  3. ^ "Metro decision to paint Union Station vault rubs some the wrong way". Washington Post. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  4. ^ "Metro announces Inauguration service plans, station closures | WMATA". www.wmata.com. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  5. ^ Repetski, Stephen (July 11, 2017). "The Union Station Metro entrance on First Street is getting a makeover". Greater Greater Washington. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  6. ^ Construction: Tunnels
External links

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