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Union Station (Washington Metro)
Encyclopedia
Union Station is a Washington Metro
station
in Washington, D.C.
on the Red Line
.
The station is located in Northeast of the city under the western end of Union Station, the main train station for Washington, at which connections can be made to Amtrak
intercity trains as well as the Virginia Railway Express
and MARC
commuter rail trains to the suburbs.
It features an island platform with two exits, one mid-platform leading into the main part of the station and Massachusetts Avenue
and the other at the northern end emptying onto 1st Street NE and to the main boarding concourse.
The station was originally named "Union Station-Visitor Center" but when the National Visitor Center
there failed, it was renamed Union Station. In fact, one or two pylons still read "Union Station-Visitor Center," and a number of older stations still display this name on signage. Like the other original stations, Union Station sports coffer
ed vaults of concrete in its ceiling.
Service began on March 27, 1976 with the opening of the Red Line. It is the busiest station in the Metrorail system, averaging 32,745 passengers per weekday as of May 2010.
Washington Metro
The Washington Metro, commonly called Metro, and unofficially Metrorail, is the rapid transit system in Washington, D.C., United States, and its surrounding suburbs. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority , which also operates Metrobus service under the Metro name...
station
Metro station
A metro station or subway station is a railway station for a rapid transit system, often known by names such as "metro", "underground" and "subway". It is often underground or elevated. At crossings of metro lines, they are multi-level....
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
on the Red Line
Red Line (Washington Metro)
The Red Line of the Washington Metro is a rail rapid transit service operating between 27 stations in Montgomery County, Maryland and the District of Columbia, United States. It is a primary line through downtown Washington, and the oldest and busiest line in the system...
.
The station is located in Northeast of the city under the western end of Union Station, the main train station for Washington, at which connections can be made to Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
intercity trains as well as the Virginia Railway Express
Virginia Railway Express
The Virginia Railway Express is a regional/ commuter rail service that connects the Northern Virginia suburbs to Union Station in Washington, D.C., via two lines: the Fredericksburg Line from Fredericksburg, Virginia, and the Manassas Line from Broad Run/Airport station in Bristow,...
and MARC
MARC Train
MARC , known prior to 1984 as Maryland Rail Commuter Service, is a regional rail system comprising three lines in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. MARC is administered by the Maryland Transit Administration , a Maryland Department of Transportation agency, and is operated under contract...
commuter rail trains to the suburbs.
Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.)
Massachusetts Avenue is a major diagonal transverse road in Washington, D.C., and the Massachusetts Avenue Historic District is a historic district that includes part of it....
and the other at the northern end emptying onto 1st Street NE and to the main boarding concourse.
The station was originally named "Union Station-Visitor Center" but when the National Visitor Center
National Visitor Center
The National Visitor Center was an ill-fated attempt to repurpose Washington, D.C.'s Union Station as an information center for tourists visiting the United States Capitol and other Washington attractions...
there failed, it was renamed Union Station. In fact, one or two pylons still read "Union Station-Visitor Center," and a number of older stations still display this name on signage. Like the other original stations, Union Station sports coffer
Coffer
A coffer in architecture, is a sunken panel in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault...
ed vaults of concrete in its ceiling.
Service began on March 27, 1976 with the opening of the Red Line. It is the busiest station in the Metrorail system, averaging 32,745 passengers per weekday as of May 2010.
Notable places nearby
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Washington Bureau - Columbus CircleColumbus Circle, Washington D.C.Columbus Circle, also known as Union Station Plaza, is a traffic circle at the intersection of Delaware, Louisiana and Massachusetts Avenues and E and First Streets, Northeast in Washington, D.C....
- Dirksen Senate Office BuildingDirksen Senate Office BuildingThe Dirksen Senate Office Building is the second office building constructed for members of the United States Senate in Washington, D.C., and was named for the late Minority Leader Everett Dirksen from Illinois in 1972.-History:...
- Federal Energy Regulatory CommissionFederal Energy Regulatory CommissionThe Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is the United States federal agency with jurisdiction over interstate electricity sales, wholesale electric rates, hydroelectric licensing, natural gas pricing, and oil pipeline rates...
- Folger Shakespeare LibraryFolger Shakespeare LibraryThe Folger Shakespeare Library is an independent research library on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It has the world's largest collection of the printed works of William Shakespeare, and is a primary repository for rare materials from the early modern period...
- Georgetown University Law CenterGeorgetown University Law CenterGeorgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
- Gonzaga College High SchoolGonzaga College High SchoolGonzaga College High School is a Jesuit high school for boys located in Washington, D.C. The school is named in honor of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian saint from the 16th century...
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- Hall of States
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- Japanese-American Memorial
- National Guard Memorial
- National Postal MuseumNational Postal MuseumThe National Postal Museum, located opposite Union Station in Washington, D.C., USA, was established through joint agreement between the United States Postal Service and the Smithsonian Institution and opened in 1993. The museum is located across the street from Union Station, in the building that...
- Russell Senate Office BuildingRussell Senate Office BuildingThe Russell Senate Office Building is the oldest of the United States Senate office buildings. Designed in the Beaux-Arts architectural style, it was built from 1903 to 1908, opened in 1909, and named for former Senator Richard Brevard Russell, Jr. of Georgia in 1972...
- Securities and Exchange Commission
- Supreme Court of the United StatesSupreme Court of the United StatesThe Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
- Sursum Corda CooperativeSursum Corda CooperativeSursum Corda Cooperative is a small neighborhood located in Washington, D.C., bounded by North Capitol Street on the east, First Street NW to the west, K Street NW to the south, and New York Avenue NW to the north. It consists of 199 housing units constructed as an experiment in cooperatively...
- Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary BuildingThurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary BuildingThe Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building houses offices that support the work of the United States Courts, including the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the Federal Judicial Center, and the United States Sentencing Commission.It is located at 1 Columbus Circle NE in...
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- United States CapitolUnited States CapitolThe United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
- Washington, D.C. busBusA bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
terminal
External links
- WMATA: Union Station
- StationMasters Online: Union Station
- The Schumin Web Transit Center: Union Station
- 1st Street entrance from Google Maps Street View