Trump administration strikes deal to regain control of Washington Union Station

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - The Trump administration said late Friday it has struck a deal to restore federal control of Washington Union Station in the nation's capital.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it planned 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. Under a new agreement between U.S. passenger railroad Amtrak, the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation and the Federal Railroad Administration, the federal government will take control of the station. "Reasserting control of the facility will free up Amtrak to focus on its core mission of providing rail transportation," the FRA said Friday.

USDOT said it will improve security with a short-term focus on addressing a backlog of capital projects and a long-term vision of Union Station that uses private investment.

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.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser last month praised the decision, saying the city could not afford $8 billion or more to renovate the station.