Norton Writes Transportation Secretary Buttigieg, Asks for Funding for Union Station Expansion Project in Biden Build Back Better Proposal
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg asking him to include funding for the Washington Union Station Expansion Project (SEP) in the Biden administration's Build Back Better proposal. As the second most senior member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Norton has long championed public transportation and supported expanding Union Station.
"Given that Union Station is federally owned and that President Biden has emphasized the need for greater investment in high-speed rail and infrastructure, the SEP should receive priority consideration," Norton said in the letter. "The SEP is a historic opportunity to ensure that Union Station is a multimodal transportation hub that is seamlessly integrated into a thriving mixed-use neighborhood in the nation's capital. This goal can only be fully realized with federal funding."
The full text of the letter is below.
The Honorable Pete Buttigieg
Secretary
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20590
Dear Secretary Buttigieg:
As the second most senior member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I urge you to include funding for the Washington Union Station Expansion Project (SEP) in the Biden administration's Build Back Better proposal. Given that Union Station is federally owned and that President Biden has emphasized the need for greater investment in high-speed rail and infrastructure, the SEP should receive priority consideration. The SEP is a historic opportunity to ensure that Union Station is a multimodal transportation hub that is seamlessly integrated into a thriving mixed-use neighborhood in the nation's capital. This goal can only be fully realized with federal funding.
Union Station is a vital local, regional and national transportation hub that, pre-pandemic, had more than 100,000 travelers and visitors passing through it each day, which is more than either Reagan National Airport or Dulles International Airport. Union Station serves as the southern terminus of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and the northern terminus for multiple Southeast corridor lines, and is the first and second highest ridership stations for the Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) and the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) commuter lines, respectively. Amtrak, MARC and VRE are all expecting unprecedented growth in ridership, with demand estimated to reach two or three times higher than pre-pandemic levels by 2040. However, according to the Federal Railroad Administration's own assessment, this predicted growth will be constrained without infrastructure improvements at Union Station.
The SEP will ensure that Union Station remains a world-class facility that prioritizes intermodal transportation while providing an enhanced quality of life for people who live, work and visit the District. Again, I urge you to include the SEP in the Build Back Better proposal.
Thank you for considering this request. Please respond in writing by April 24, 2021.
Sincerely,
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Member of Congress