Amtrak

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Wednesday that his department is taking management of Union Station, the main transportation hub in Washington, away from Amtrak, in another example of how the federal government is exerting its power over the nation’s capital.

Duffy made the announcement in a statement before he joined Amtrak President Roger Harris at Union Station for the launch of the NextGen Acela, the rail service’s new high-speed train.

The secretary said Union Station, located within walking distance of the U.S. Capitol, had “fallen into disrepair” when it should be a “point of pride” for the city.

“By reclaiming station management, we will help make this city safe and beautiful at a fraction of the cost,” Duffy said.

At the event, Duffy said President Trump has been “pretty clear” about what he wants.

“He wants Union Station to be beautiful again. He wants transit to be safe again. And he wants our nation’s capital to be great again. And today is part of that,” Duffy said.

Duffy echoed the Republican president, who said last week he wants $2 billion from Congress to beautify Washington as part of his crackdown on the city. The Republican president has sent thousands of National Guard troops and federal law enforcement officials into Washington in a bid to fight violent crime he claimed had strangled the city.

Local police department statistics show violent crime in Washington has declined in recent years, but Trump has countered, without offering evidence, that the numbers were fudged.

National Guard troops have been on patrol inside and outside of Union Station after Trump launched the anti-crime effort earlier this month. Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were shouted down by opponents of the federal intervention when they visited with troops there last week.

During Wednesday’s train unveiling, Duffy will also talk about what the administration is doing to turn Union Station into a world class transit hub, according to a Transportation Department news advisory.

Duffy had pressed Amtrak about crime at Union Station in a March letter to its chief operating officer and requested an updated plan on how it intended to improve public safety there.

Superville writes for the Associated Press.

June 6 (UPI) — Passenger train service in the U.S. Northeast was still not back to full capacity early Friday afternoon after crews worked overnight to repair a power outage in Connecticut.

Amtrak passenger trains were running between New York City and Westport, Conn., as of 1:30 p.m. EDT Friday, although buses were still providing local service.

MTA Metro-North Railroad service continued to experience delays and cancellations Friday morning.

“Following a partial service suspension caused by downed overhead wires near Westport, today’s morning commute includes cancellations and combined trains,” the suburban commuter rail service said on X Friday morning.

The railroad was still cautioning commuters to expect regular delays of up to 15 minutes Friday afternoon on the busy line between New York City and New Haven, Conn.

Amtrak said it was still experiencing delays Friday afternoon.

“All services operating between Stamford and New Haven are currently experiencing a delay due to an electrical system outage, resulting in heavy rail congestion and speed restrictions in the area,” the company said on X.

“Our rail partner’s track maintenance team is currently working to restore the electrical system. Once it’s restored, All service will resume at normal track speeds. We are dedicated to providing updates to you as soon as it becomes available. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”

All Amtrak trains and some Metro-North service was suspended Thursday evening after the power failure shut down all four commuter tracks. Crews managed to get one operational overnight with two back in service Friday morning.

Travelers to and from cities such as Boston, Stamford, Philadelphia and Springfield were all affected.

The cause of the outage remains under investigation.

The rail line known as the Northeast Corridor runs from Boston to Washington, D.C., and is the busiest stretch of rail in the country, seeing about 800,000 trips per day.

In 2023, then-President Joe Biden announced $16 billion in spending to upgrade rail infrastructure, including the Northeast Corridor.

Both Amtrak and Metro North use electric-powered locomotives in that part of the Northeast corridor, meaning a power outage can bring things to a standstill.

Amtrak does have dual-use locomotives that can be powered by diesel or electricity in the region but they are typically used only between Albany and New York,