Amtrak To Move Headquarters Back To Union Station Amid Federal Takeover

The Trump administration is directing Amtrak to move its headquarters back to Union Station as it takes control of the 118-year-old train station in the heart of the nation's capital.

The move was one of several changes announced by the Department of Transportation in a late Friday afternoon press release as part of its deal to take over Union Station from Amtrak, which just secured the property via eminent domain this spring.

The release says Amtrak and the Union Station Redevelopment Corp., the nonprofit that oversees the historic aspects of the property, have officially approved the federal takeover and the planned changes via a renegotiated cooperative agreement.

DOT said in the release that Amtrak's headquarters move would allow “taxpayer-funded office expenses to be reinvested in a federal asset rather than being spent on private realty.”

Amtrak is expected to enter an office lease with USRC, but it is unclear how much space Amtrak will occupy at Union Station or when the move will take place. Amtrak and USRC declined a request for comment.

The federally chartered rail system's offices have been at 1 Massachusetts Ave. NW, about a block west of Union Station, since the fall of 2017, when it inked an 85K SF lease with a 2028 expiration. The 175K SF building is owned by the nonprofit lobbying organization National Guard Association of the United States.

Prior to its 2017 relocation, Amtrak was housed at Union Station, where it occupied 106K SF. 

A spokesperson for The Donohoe Cos., which manages and leases the building, said the company couldn't comment on “ongoing lease negotiations.” NGAUS didn't respond to requests for comment.

DOT has owned Union Station since the 1980s, but the building has been managed by USRC, while the office, retail and event space has been privately leased — most recently to Amtrak, which won the leasehold interest after a court battle in March.

As part of the renegotiation, USRC, under the direction of DOT, will operate the retail, office, event space and parking, the release says. It is also responsible for providing enhanced security and new passenger areas for Amtrak. 

Along with its headquarters relocation, Amtrak is responsible for continuing to provide a police presence and delivering modernized waiting areas with its new space allocation from USRC. 

The agreement also indicates that the federal government is reevaluating the $8.8B renovation and expansion plans for Union Station that had been planned to take place over the next few decades, including nearly 4M SF of mixed-use development planned by developer Akridge.

DOT highlighted a specific set of priorities like repair projects, increasing revenue, improving security and setting the stage for increased private investment, an approach the release says “stands in stark contrast to the Biden-Buttigieg Administration’s boondoggle plan” to put taxpayer dollars “into a far-fetched expansion without addressing the critical needs of the historic station.”

The release says the USRC is tasked with positioning the asset “for a more reasonable expansion plan that can draw private investment and limit taxpayer risk.”