Amtrak is advancing a near-term comprehensive renovation of Washington Union Station’s intercity and commuter rail concourse, which will add approximately 20,000 square feet of new passenger space, nearly doubling the concourse’s current capacity. Amtrak unveiled two conceptual renderings of the renovation.
Design is underway to upgrade passenger amenities including new restrooms, boarding gates, seating and a ClubAcela lounge. The result will be a vastly reconfigured, modernized and unified concourse that will improve the passenger experience by providing better accessibility, circulation, wayfinding and multimodal connectivity.
While Union Station is now operating beyond its capacity, particularly during rush hours and peak travel times. As such, implementing near-term solutions to gain capacity and alleviate congestion is imperative to maintaining safe and efficient station operations.
Early action construction for Amtrak’s Concourse Modernization project will start in spring 2016. Phased construction is anticipated to start in 2017 and will seek to minimize impacts to all station users.
“It will vastly improve passenger comfort and accessibility with a modern and reconfigured concourse area benefiting Amtrak, VRE and MARC passengers. This work and other planned improvements will transform Union Station’s capacity and performance, befitting the vital regional gateway and civic hub the Station has become since its redevelopment in 1988,” said Stephen Gardner, Amtrak’s Executive Vice President of Northeast Corridor Business Development.
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