Union Station is a

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on the Red Line. It has a single underground

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. The station is located in the

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quadrant of the city under the western end of

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

, the main train station for Washington, where connections can be made to

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intercity trains, as well as

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 ...

and

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trains to

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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.

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 Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by Minimalism (art), minimalist constructions th ...

cavern, while other riders liked the brightened stations and cleaner feels that resulted from the white paint. Between January 15 to January 21, 2021, this station was closed because of security concerns due to the 2020 Inauguration.

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.

Station layout

Like the other original stations of the Metro, Union Station sports

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vaults of concrete in its ceiling.Construction: Tunnels
/ref> One end of the station has a lowered "box" cut out of the ceiling. The station features an

with two exits, one mid-platform mezzanine leading to the main hall of Union Station and

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and the one northern exit leading to 1st Street NE and to the main boarding concourse.

Notable places nearby

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* Capitol Police Headquarters *

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Washington Bureau *

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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 material ...

Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) 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 ...

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 16 ...

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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, an ...

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* Hillsdale College's Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship * Japanese-American Memorial * National Guard Memorial 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 S ...

Russell Senate Office Building The Russell Senate Office Building is the oldest of the United States Senate office buildings. Designed in the Beaux-Arts architectural style, it was built from 1903 to 1908 and opened in 1909. It was named for former Senator Richard Russell ...

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Stanton Park Stanton Park, previously known as Stanton Square, is a national park in Washington D.C.Stanton Park
...

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* Sursum Corda Cooperative *

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* Washington, D.C.

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terminal

Gallery

File:WashingtonUnionStation-VisitorCenterPillar.jpg, An old "Union Station-Visitor Center" sign on the station platform File:Union Station WMATA repainting 2017.jpg, The station in the process of being painted white in 2017 File:WMATA Union Station in Washington DC.jpg, A train of Breda 3000 Series on the Red Line departing Union Station

References

External links

1st Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
{{Washington Metro stations navbox Stations on the Red Line (Washington Metro) Washington Metro stations in Washington, D.C. Railway stations in the United States opened in 1976 1976 establishments in Washington, D.C. Capitol Hill Railway stations located underground in Washington, D.C. Washington Metro stations located underground Near Northeast (Washington, D.C.)