Union Station (Washington, D.C.)
The Washington Union Station is the main station of the capital of the United States, Washington, DC
Geographical Location
The station is located in the center of Washington, D.C. and is primarily designed as a terminal station. Urban planning, the reception building is oriented with its main facade of the Capitol, which is just five blocks away. The square in front of the main entrance, Columbus Circle, is decorated with a fountain. On him and the reception building three road axes run to fan-shaped. Another road axis runs between Columbus Circle and reception building. The surrounding area is partly designed as a green area, what the building can seem even more monumental.
History
The station was set up jointly by the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Until then possessed Washington, DC, only stations of individual rail companies. Their access tracks also ran here and there in the public street space, which was at the turn of the 20th century almost unsustainable. The new station also solved this problem.
Architecture
The station building was designed by architect Daniel Burnham in the neoclassical style. The main facade is decorated in motifs the Arch of Constantine and more than 200 meters long. It is divided into the central part, which is modeled on a Roman triumphal arch and is connected to two final page pavilions by arcades. The main hall is modeled on the Baths of Diocletian, and more than 30 meters high.
The decor is gorgeous. Figural decoration in the style of Beaux -Arts, in particular by Augustus Saint- Gaudens, gold leaf and marble were used abundantly. To the figure the program allegorical figure group is in the center of the facade. It represents the "progress of the railway sector " represents: Prometheus (fire), Thales ( Electricity ), Themis (Freedom and Justice), Apollo ( imagination and ingenuity ), Archimedes ( Mechanics) and Ceres ( agriculture). The fact that here the agriculture and non- trading is shown, was enforced by the corresponding lobby. Saint- Gaudens in addition created the figures of 26 centurions, which decorate the main hall.
The station was designed with all the facilities of a large central city train station - even a morgue and a suite for the president was not missing.
Use
The Washington Union Station was opened on October 27, 1907. Apart from the two railway companies which had built the station, also drove trains of the Southern Railway and the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad at the station. The highlight of the operation took place during the Second World War here. At the time, took more than 200,000 travelers per day the station. On January 15, 1953, came into the station to a spectacular railway accident when an incoming from Boston train because of brake failure ran over the buffer stop and the locomotive came only in the main hall to a halt where they broke through their high weight in the basement. In the incident, amazingly, no one was seriously injured.
With the decline of the railways in the United States in the 1950s, the station quickly lost importance. For the remaining traffic, the station building was completely oversized. Structurally, it fell into disrepair. For the celebration of the 200 th anniversary of the United States in 1976, was designed as a central visitor center in the early 1970s. Its acceptance was limited and so the visitor center was closed in 1978 again as the structural defects of the building assumed threatening proportions so that parts were in danger of collapsing.
The station was thoroughly renovated from 1981 to 1989. In this land which was no longer needed by changing railway operation, put to other uses. Thus, for example, in the premises of the former baggage handling a food court set up. The roof was completely renewed and changed, so that the skylights today do not transmit more daylight. This has been replaced by artificial lighting. As amended, as the station was re- opened in 1989, it presents itself today. The station building is classified as a cultural monument of national importance.
Current usage
The reception building of Union Station is owned by a non-profit company, the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation, which it has leased to a long-running contract to the Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation. Is looked after the building of Jones Lang LaSalle.
The Washington Union Station has 18 platforms with 20 tracks on two levels. Their numbering is somewhat bizarre: The tracks of the upper level are numbered 7 to 20, the lower the level, the numbers 22-29. The trains leave the station from the lower level through a tunnel. Only here there are some through tracks. All other tracks in the underground station and all tracks of the upper level end here.
For park and ride passengers, there are 2,448 parking spaces for cars and 180 for bicycles. The station is the southernmost terminus of the Northeast Corridor. He is also the headquarters of Amtrak. , Which offers regional and long distance services, including the features of the Acela Express, which start from here to the north and the long-distance trains Capitol Limited, Crescent, Palmetto and Silver Service. Next here run regional and suburban trains by MARC and Virginia Railway Express Train. In addition, located under the west wing of the Washington Union Station a breakpoint with the same name of the "Red Line" subway from Washington, DC, the Washington Metro. It is the most frequented railway station. The Washington Union Station is served by several city bus lines and houses since 2011, a long-distance bus station.
In addition, the huge complex of the reception building contains numerous recreational facilities, especially shops and restaurants. Total - including travelers - 32 million people visit the station in today.
Just north of the station is a railway depot of AMTRAK for the upkeep of the Acela trains, where maintenance work for other railway companies are carried out.
Skip to Know
The impressive architecture of the station has been used in a number of films. These include:
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
- Strangers on a train
- Flying Saucers - Here the station is partially destroyed
- Hannibal (2001)
- The use
- Collateral Damage - Age of Reckoning
- The Sentinel - Who can you trust?
- A President for all cases
- The Wedding Crashers
- And in various episodes of the television series The West Wing - The West Wing
In literary terms found mention of the station: