Trump administration to take control of Washington's Union Station

By David Shepardson

NEW YORK, Aug 27 (Reuters) - The Transportation Department plans to reclaim management of Washington's Union Station, one of the country's biggest rail hubs, in President Donald Trump's latest move to increase federal control of what he portrays as a run-down capital city.

"We think we can manage the property better," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said after arriving by train in New York. "We are going to make the investments to make sure that this station isn't dirty and we don't have homelessness in Union Station."

The majestic but worn Beaux-Arts style station, which opened in 1907, is owned by the federal government but has been run by a non-profit corporation working with Amtrak, the government-owned passenger rail service.

The station faces billions of dollars in delayed maintenance and needed spending on track, parking and other operations. The rail terminal has also contended with homeless people and crime including a February murder in a parking garage.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser praised the decision, saying the city could not afford $8 billion or more to renovate the station. She said it is appropriate for "the federal government to make the necessary investments in the transformation of Union Station."

Declaring without evidence that crime in the District of Columbia was out of control, Trump this month deployed National Guard troops to the city after he took control of the local police department over the objections of local leaders.

Duffy, who rode on Amtrak's inaugural service of new high-speed trains on Wednesday, said the plan for Union Station was not a "power play" but intended to attract new tenants and revenue to overhaul the station.

Deputy Transportation Secretary Steve Bradbury said a Biden administration $10 billion redevelopment for Union Station would be scrapped and a new plan adopted.

Amtrak, which set a new passenger record last year, inaugurated new high-speed Acela trains on Wednesday on the Northeast Corridor that links Boston to Washington, the busiest U.S. rail route with 800,000 daily trips in a region representing 20% of the U.S. economy.

At New York's Penn Station, the Transportation Department said Amtrak would replace the city's Metropolitan Transportation Authority as lead on a reconstruction project.

Duffy on Wednesday announced a $43 million grant to jump start the multi-billion dollar Penn Station project and planned to name a master developer by May to build an open-air modern station.

During his first term, Trump repeatedly sought to cut funding to Amtrak. Congress in March approved $2.42 billion for Amtrak through September 30 in annual funding, on par with recent years.