Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is set to announce that the Department of Transportation (DOT) will be “reclaiming” management of Union Station in Washington, DC, Breitbart News has learned.
In a press release viewed by Breitbart News, Duffy celebrated the launch of Amtrak’s new Acela trains. Additionally, Duffy said that DOT is “reclaiming station management” at Union Station, pointing out that the station has “fallen into disrepair.”
“With these new Acela trainsets, Amtrak will provide more reliable service and lower prices for the American people — all while increasing the organization’s profitability,” Duffy said in a statement.
Acela trains, which will be on “Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor between D.C, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston,” are described as more spacious, and featuring “more leg room and larger tray tables in both classes,” WTOP News reported. The trains are set to “debut” on August 28:
The roomier passenger cars include more leg room and larger tray tables in both classes. Seats include USB ports, adjustable reading lights and cars have streamlined overhead luggage compartments. The cafe cars have self-select and check-out options.
“But we’re not stopping there,” Duffy added. “Instead of being a point of pride, Washington’s Union Station has fallen into disrepair. By reclaiming station management, we will help make this city safe and beautiful at a fraction of the cost.”
In a statement, Deputy Secretary of Transportation Steve Bradbury praised President Donald Trump and Duffy for “doing what they do best: making big, beautiful projects come to life.”
“The launch of the new Acela is a critical starting point as we work to improve travel for millions of Americans,” Bradbury said in a statement. “I look forward to working closely with our team at Amtrak and the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation to focus our attention on Union Station and make it a world class transit hub.”
The station was designed by architect Daniel Burnham and opened in October 1907, according to Union Station’s website.
Per the website, in 1981, Congress passed the Union Station Redevelopment Act of 1981, which was signed into law under President Ronald Reagan. The Act stated, “the Secretary of Transportation shall provide for the rehabilitation and redevelopment of the Union Station complex primarily as a multiple-use transportation terminal”:
In 1981, Congress passed the Union Station Redevelopment Act. It stated that, “the Secretary of Transportation shall provide for the rehabilitation and redevelopment of the Union Station complex primarily as a multiple-use transportation terminal serving the Nation’s Capital, and secondarily as a commercial complex, in accordance with the following goals:
Preservation of the exterior façade and other historically an architecturally significant features of the Union Station building;
Restoration and operation of a portion of the historic Union Station building as a rail passenger station, together with hold facilities for charter, transit, and intercity buses in the Union Station complex;
Commercial development of the Union Station complex that will, to the extent possible, financially support the continued operation and maintenance of such complex; and
Withdrawal by the Federal Government from any active role in the operation and management of the Union Station complex as soon as practical and at the least possible Federal expense consistent with goals set forth in subsections (a) through (c) of this section.
Years later, in 1983, the Secretary of Transportation went on to establish “a public/private partnership that funded the $160 million-dollar restoration of the station.”
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