General information | |||||||||||||
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Location | 701 1st Street NE Washington, D.C. | ||||||||||||
Coordinates | 38°53′52″N77°00′24″W / 38.897723°N 77.006745°W | ||||||||||||
Owned by | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority | ||||||||||||
Platforms | 1 island platform | ||||||||||||
Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||
Connections |
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Construction | |||||||||||||
Structure type | Underground | ||||||||||||
Bicycle facilities | Capital Bikeshare, 23 racks | ||||||||||||
Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||||
Station code | B03 | ||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||
Opened | March 27, 1976 | ||||||||||||
Previous names | Union Station–Visitor Center (until January 21, 1982) [1] | ||||||||||||
Passengers | |||||||||||||
2023 | 9,848 daily [2] | ||||||||||||
Rank | 3 out of 98 | ||||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||||
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Union Station is a Washington Metro station in Washington, D.C., on the Red Line. The station is located in the Northeast quadrant of the city under the western end of Washington Union Station, the main train station for Washington. It has a single underground island platform. With a daily average of 9,848 tapped entries, Union Station is the third-busiest in the system, behind Metro Center and Foggy Bottom–GWU.
Like the other original stations of the Metro, Union Station sports coffered vaults of concrete in its ceiling. [3] One end of the station has a lowered "box" cut out of the ceiling. The station features an island platform with two exits, one mid-platform mezzanine leading to the main hall of Union Station and Massachusetts Avenue and the one northern exit leading to 1st Street NE and to the main boarding concourse.
After groundbreaking in 1969, the station opened as Union Station-Visitor Center (National Visitor Center) on March 27, 1976, with the rest of the Red Line. It was renamed to simply "Union Station" in 1982 following the closure of the National Visitor Center. [4]
Union Station had dirtier walls than most stations as trains brought in soot from diesel engines in Union Station, resulting in a dimmer station. In March 2017, it was announced the station would be painted white at a cost of $75,000–$100,000. This sparked a debate amongst riders, as preservationists did not like the irrevocable act of painting the brutalist cavern, while other riders liked the brightened stations and cleaner feels that resulted from the white paint. [5]
Between January 15 to January 21, 2021, the station was closed because of security concerns due to the 2020 Inauguration. [6]
The street-level entrance on First Street, built into the existing retaining wall, was rebuilt to accessible-compliant standards, adding more space for extra fare gates and connections between the platform and track level. [7] During initial construction of the station, a 600-foot (180-meter) pedestrian tunnel was constructed between the north mezzanine and H Street NE. However, prior to the station's opening, the tunnel was boarded up and the space is now used by WMATA to store equipment. [8] There have been plans to incorporate the abandoned tunnel into future station planned improvements.
The Washington Metro, often abbreviated as the Metro and formally the Metrorail, is a rapid transit system serving the Washington metropolitan area of the United States. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), which also operates the Metrobus service under the Metro name. Opened in 1976, the network now includes six lines, 98 stations, and 129 miles (208 km) of route.
Metro Center station is the central hub station of the Washington Metro, a rapid transit system in Washington, D.C. The station is located in Downtown, centered on the intersection of 12th Street NW and G Street NW. It is one of the 4 major transfer points in the Metrorail network. The Red Line portion of Metro Center station opened on March 27, 1976, as part of the first section of the Metro system.
Foggy Bottom–GWU station is a Washington Metro station in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States. The island-platformed station was opened on July 1, 1977, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Providing service for the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines, the station is located on I Street on the George Washington University (GWU) campus. It is the last westbound station in the District of Columbia on these lines before they dive under the Potomac River to Virginia.
The Yellow Line is a rapid transit line of the Washington Metro system that runs between Huntington in Virginia and Mount Vernon Square in Washington, D.C. It consists of 13 stations in Fairfax County, the city of Alexandria, and Arlington County in Virginia, and Washington, D.C. It is the shortest line in the system, and since its truncation to Mount Vernon Square, it is the only line that does not enter Maryland.
Farragut North station is an underground Washington Metro station in Washington, D.C., located on the Red Line. The station serves Downtown Washington and is immediately northwest of Farragut Square. With an average of 7,615 daily riders in 2023, Farragut North was the sixth-busiest stop in the system.
Friendship Heights station is a Washington Metro station on the Red Line straddling the border of Washington, D.C., and Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The station was opened on August 25, 1984, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).
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Medical Center station is a Washington Metro station in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. The island-platformed station was opened on August 25, 1984, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Providing service for the Red Line, the station serves the National Institutes of Health campus and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and is located at Rockville Pike and South Drive. Since there is little retail in the area and no commuter parking lot, this station is used almost exclusively by employees and visitors to those two institutions.
Gallery Place station is a Washington Metro station in Washington, D.C., United States, on the Green, Yellow and Red Lines. It is one of the 4 major transfer points, a transfer station between the Red Line on the upper level and the Green/Yellow Lines on the lower level.
Judiciary Square station is a Washington Metro station in Washington, D.C., on the Red Line. It is located in the Judiciary Square neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of the city, with entrances at 4th and D Street and 5th and F Street. It serves the many courthouses and municipal buildings in the area. The 5th and F Street entrance is located in the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, which incorporates the escalators and elevators into its architecture.
East Falls Church station is an island platformed Washington Metro station in Arlington County, Virginia, on the Orange and Silver Lines. East Falls Church station is the last aboveground, at-grade, or open-cut station for eastbound trains until Minnesota Avenue. East of this station, the trains enter tunnels.
Crystal City station is an underground Washington Metro station in the Crystal City neighborhood of Arlington County, Virginia. The station opened on July 1, 1977, and serves the Blue Line and Yellow Line services, with a Metroway bus rapid transit stop on the surface.
Court House station is an island platformed Washington Metro station in the Courthouse neighborhood of Arlington County, Virginia. The station was opened on December 1, 1979, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Weekday ridership is approximately 7,000 passengers per day. The station serves the Orange and Silver Lines.
Farragut West station is a Washington Metro station in Downtown Washington, D.C., United States. The side-platformed station was opened on July 1, 1977, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Providing service for the Blue, Orange and Silver Lines, the station is located just west of Farragut Square with two entrances on I Street at 17th and 18th Streets NW.
McPherson Square station is a Washington Metro station in Downtown, Washington, D.C., United States. The side-platformed station is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Providing service for the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines, the station is located between McPherson Square and Franklin Square, with two entrances on I Street at Vermont Avenue and 14th Street NW. This is the main station to access the White House, and the Vermont Avenue exit is directly underneath the Department of Veterans Affairs building.
Federal Triangle station is a Washington Metro station in Washington, D.C., United States. The island-platformed station was opened on July 1, 1977, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Providing service for the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines, the station's entrance is beneath the William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building.
King Street–Old Town station is a Washington Metro station in Alexandria, Virginia, United States. The station opened on December 17, 1983, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Providing service for both the Blue and Yellow Lines, this is the southernmost transfer station for the Blue and Yellow lines, as the two lines diverge just south of the station. During inclement weather, Crystal City is commonly used as an unofficial transfer point, being the southernmost underground station common to both lines. King Street was originally served only by the Yellow Line, until the Blue Line was extended from National Airport to Van Dorn Street in 1991.
Arlington Cemetery station is a side platformed Washington Metro station in Arlington, Virginia, United States. The station was opened on July 1, 1977, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). The station provides service for only the Blue Line, and is located at the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery, underneath Memorial Drive. There is no public parking near the station except at the cemetery, which is reserved for cemetery visitors. It is the only station that closes earlier than the rest of the system, closing at 7 PM from October to March, and 10 PM from April to September.
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Media related to Union Station (WMATA station) at Wikimedia Commons