WASHINGTON (AP) – Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Wednesday that his division is in control of Union Station, Washington’s main transportation hub, away from Amtrak.
Duffy made the announcement in a statement before joining President Amtrak Roger Harris at Union Station for the launch of the Railway Services’ new high-speed train, Nextgen Acela.
The secretary said Union Station, which is within walking distance of the U.S. Capitol, was “in ruin” when it was supposed to be a “point of pride” for the city.
“By retrieving the station management, we will help make the city safe and beautiful at some cost,” Duffy said.
Duffy’s words echoed last week on President Donald Trump, who said he wanted $2 billion from Congress to glorify $2 billion as part of a crackdown on cities. The Republican president has sent thousands of National Guard and federal law enforcement officials to Washington to combat the violent crimes he claimed to have strangled the city.
Statistics from local police departments show violent crimes in Washington have been declining in recent years, but Trump has refuted that numbers have been fudged without providing evidence.
After Trump launched an anti-crime effort earlier this month, he has signed patrols both inside and outside the Union Station. Vice President J.D. Vice President J.D. V. V. V. and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses were yelled at opponents of federal intervention when they visited there last week with the military.
During the train announcement Wednesday, Duffy will also talk about what the administration is doing to transform Union Station into a world-class transportation hub, according to the Transportation Department’s news advisory.
Duffy pushed Amtrak on crime at Union Station in a March letter to the Chief Operating Officer, demanding an updated plan on how it was intended to improve public safety there.
