Union Station (Washington Metro)

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

For the intercity station located directly above this station, see Washington Union Station. For the streetcar station, see Union Station (DC Streetcar).

Union Station
A Red Line train leaving the station in 2010
General information
Location701 1st Street NE
Washington, D.C.
Coordinates38°53′52″N 77°00′24″W
Owned byWashington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
Connections
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
Bicycle facilitiesCapital Bikeshare, 23 racks
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeB03
History
OpenedMarch 27, 1976 (March 27, 1976)
Previous namesUnion Station–Visitor Center
Passengers
20227,315 daily[1]
Rank3rd
Services
Preceding station Washington Metro Following station
Judiciary Square
toward Shady Grove
 Red Line NoMa–Gallaudet U
toward Glenmont
Location

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]

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 accessible-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 ← toward Grosvenor–Strathmore or Shady Grove (Judiciary Square)
Island platform
Eastbound → toward Silver Spring or Glenmont (NoMa–Gallaudet U) →

Notable places nearby
  • An old "Union Station-Visitor Center" sign on the station platform
    An old "Union Station-Visitor Center" sign on the station platform
  • The station in the process of being painted white in 2017
    The station in the process of being painted white in 2017
  • A train of Breda 3000 Series on the Red Line departing Union Station
    A train of Breda 3000 Series on the Red Line departing Union Station

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
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