Transportation

Amtrak moves to seize control of Union Station

The railroad said the move is necessary to upgrade the nation’s second-busiest train hub

By Luz Lazo
Yesterday at 7:14 p.m. EDT

Amtrak is using eminent domain to try to seize control of Union Station, a move that the passenger railroad said is necessary to realize long-planned expansion and modernization of the nation’s second-busiest train hub.

The historic station, a fixture in the heart of the District, is owned by the United States, but it is leased to and operated by other entities. In a complaint filed Thursday in the District Court for the District of Columbia, the railroad sought control of the property interest owned by Union Station Investco LLC, a subsidiary of the New York based-Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp., which has subleasing rights of the station through 2084.

Amtrak said it hopes to take over operations and management of the train hall to pursue multibillion-dollar investments at the station, including a long-planned concourse expansion and major repairs to a tunnel that runs under the station and is “in serious need of repair or replacement.”

USI will continue to operate the station until the court decides that possession and control can be awarded to Amtrak, the railroad said. Ben Ashkenazy, chief executive and chairman of Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp., didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment in a message left with his assistant.

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Union Station opened in 1907. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades for The Washington Post)

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Michael Laris and Ian Duncan contributed to this report.

By Luz Lazo
Luz Lazo is a transportation reporter at The Washington Post covering passenger and freight transportation, buses, taxis and ride-sharing services. She also writes about traffic, road infrastructure and air travel in the Washington region and beyond. She joined The Post in 2011. Twitter https://twitter.com/luzcita