Washington Union Station

For the Washington Metro station, see Union Station (Washington Metro). For the DC Streetcar station, see Washington Union Station § DC Streetcar.

Union Station
Washington, DC
Union Station in May 2015
General information
Location50 Massachusetts Avenue NE
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Coordinates38°53′50″N 77°00′23″W / 38.89731°N 77.00626°W / 38.89731; -77.00626
Owned byUnited States Department of Transportation (station building and parking)
Washington Terminal Company/Amtrak (platforms and tracks)[1] Union Station Redevelopment Corp. leased to Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation[2]
Operated byAmtrak
Line(s)Amtrak Northeast Corridor
CSX RF&P Subdivision
Platforms18
Tracks22
Train operatorsAmtrak, MARC, VRE
Bus standslocated on the mezzanine level[3]
Bus operators
  • WMATA Metrobus
  • Maryland MTA Commuter Bus
  • Loudoun County Commuter Bus
  • PRTC Buses
  • Greyhound Lines
  • Peter Pan Bus Lines
  • Washington Deluxe
  • BestBus
  • OurBus
Connections at Union Station
DC Streetcar at Union Station
Metropolitan Branch Trail
Construction
Parking2,448 spaces
Bicycle facilities180
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: WAS
IATA codeZWU
Fare zone1 (VREX)
History
Opened1908
Rebuilt1981–1989
ElectrifiedJanuary 28, 1935[4] (ceremonial)
February 10, 1935[5] (regular service)
Passengers
FY 20245,639,617[6] (Amtrak only)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Terminus Acela BWI Airport
toward Boston South
Vermonter New Carrollton
toward St. Albans
Alexandria
toward Chicago
 Cardinal Baltimore
toward New York
Alexandria
toward Charlotte
 Carolinian
Alexandria
toward Miami
 Silver Meteor
Floridian Rockville
toward Chicago
Alexandria
toward New Orleans
 Crescent BWI Airport
toward New York
Alexandria
toward Norfolk, Newport News or Roanoke
 Northeast Regional New Carrollton
toward Boston South or Springfield
Alexandria
toward Savannah
 Palmetto New Carrollton
toward New York
Preceding station MARC Following station
Silver Spring
toward Martinsburg or Frederick
 Brunswick Line Terminus
Terminus Camden Line Riverdale
toward Camden Station
Penn Line New Carrollton
toward Perryville
Preceding station Virginia Railway Express Following station
L'Enfant
toward Broad Run
 Manassas Line Terminus
L'Enfant
toward Spotsylvania
 Fredericksburg Line
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Terminus Chesapeake Capital Beltway
toward Philadelphia–Suburban
Alexandria
toward Tri-State
 Hilltopper New Carrollton
toward Boston South
Terminus Metroliner Capital Beltway
toward New York
Silver Spring
toward Cincinnati (River Road)
 Shenandoah Terminus
Terminus National Limited Capital Beltway
toward Kansas City
Montrealer Capital Beltway
toward Montreal
Rockville
toward Chicago
 Capitol Limited Terminus
Alexandria
toward Miami
 Silver Star Baltimore
toward New York
Preceding station Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Following station
Takoma
toward Chicago
 Main Line Riverdale
toward Jersey City
University
toward Chicago
 Langdon
toward Jersey City
Preceding station Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Following station
Alexandria
toward Cincinnati
 Main Line Terminus
Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station
Terminus Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad Landover
toward Philadelphia
Preceding station Southern Railway Following station
Alexandria
toward Birmingham
 Main Line Terminus
Preceding station Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad Following station
Washington 7th Street
toward Richmond: Broad Street or Main Street
 Main Line Terminus
Proposed services
Preceding station MARC Following station
L'Enfant Plaza
toward Alexandria
 Penn Line New Carrollton
toward Perryville
Silver Spring
toward Martinsburg or Frederick
 Brunswick Line L'Enfant Plaza
toward Alexandria
Washington D.C. Union Station
Built1908
ArchitectD.H. Burnham & Company (William Pierce Anderson, Daniel Burnham)
Architectural styleClassical, Beaux-Arts, among others
NRHP reference No.69000302
Designated March 24, 1969
Location

Washington Union Station, known locally as 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 second-busiest station and North America's 13th-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 five million passengers.[7]

An intermodal facility, Union Station also serves MARC and VRE commuter rail services, the Washington Metro, the DC Streetcar, intercity bus lines, and local Metrobus buses. It carries the IATA airport code of ZWU.[8]

At the height of its traffic, during World War II, as many as 200,000 passengers passed through the station in a single day.[9] In 1988, a headhouse wing was added and the original station renovated for use as a shopping mall. As of 2014, Union Station was one of the busiest rail facilities and shopping destinations in the United States, visited by over 40 million people a year.[10] The COVID-19 pandemic and other factors caused a sharp decline in retail and dining; by late 2022, more than half its commercial space was vacant. Amtrak took control of the station in 2024 and is working on a major renovation and expansion. On August 27, 2025, the Trump administration announced it would negotiate to resume direct federal management of non-railroad areas.

  1. ^ "Washington – Union Station, DC (WAS)". the Great American Stations. Amtrak. 2016. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
  2. ^ "Union Station". Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  3. ^ "Washington, D.C. Station". Peter Pan Bus Lines. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  4. ^ "Pennsy's New Electric Train Breaks Record". The Evening Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. January 28, 1935. p. 28. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "N.Y.-Washington Electric Train Service Starts Sunday on P.R.R." The Daily Home News. New Brunswick, New Jersey. February 9, 1935. p. 3. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal year 2024: District of Columbia" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2025. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  7. ^ "Amtrak National Fact Sheet: FY2015" (PDF). Amtrak. July 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  8. ^ "Help: Three Letter Airport Codes". LastUpDate.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2005.
  9. ^ "Union Station". Washington, DC: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary. National Park Service. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  10. ^ "The World's Most-visited Tourist Attractions". Travel+Leisure. November 10, 2014. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
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