COG statement on Union Station funding

The following is a statement by Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Board of Directors Chair Charles Allen in response to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) investment in passenger rail along the Northeast Corridor (NEC), including new funding to support planning activities to expand Washington Union Station. Allen is a District of Columbia Councilmember.

"On behalf of my colleagues on the COG Board of Directors, the new federal funding announced for the project to redevelop and expand Union Station is fantastic news. Union Station's expansion is a once-in-century investment. It is as important to our region as our airports. This is a great example of federal partnership and leadership that will be necessary to move this game-changing project forward."

The revitalization of Union Station has been a topic of significant interest among COG's Board of Directors, comprised of elected officials from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia representing local and state governments in the region. Ensuring the viability of this critical hub has been a longstanding regional priority, supported by COG through numerous efforts that recognize efficient, seamless transit as a key to achieving our vision of a sustainable, prosperous, and equitable future. In 2023, COG sent a letter of support for the Washington Union Station Expansion Project to FRA, and the COG Board of Directors received an update from Amtrak, the Union Station Development Corporation, and Federal City Council on the project planning status on Wednesday at its November 2024 Board meeting. COG is also partnering with WMATA on the DMVMoves initiative to create a unified vision and sustainable funding model for the region's transit network, of which Union Station is the central hub.

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