Inside the decline of D.C.’s Union Station

Vacant retailers and rising crime are only a few causes that an growing variety of Washingtonians avoid Union Station besides to catch a practice.

Why it issues: The long-lasting D.C. landmark has declined from a bustling transportation and retail hub — a standard spot for lunch or errands — to a website that’s languishing, awaiting a $10 billion renovation that may hopefully revitalize the house.

The large image: Solely about 40 retailers and meals retailers stay within the station, and half of the business areas are empty, the Washington Put up reported final month.

• Virginia commuter Thomas Porter instructed the Put up he skips grabbing breakfast or dinner at Union Station today. Whereas he used to take pleasure in enterprise lunches on the long-shuttered B. Smith’s restaurant, Porter now strikes via the station “as quick as doable” to keep away from harassment.

Different public questions of safety have roiled Washington’s 115-year-old entry level.

• Final September, a daytime taking pictures within the station’s west wing left one particular person with minor accidents and rattled passengers heading to trains or simply attempting to browse the florist within the historic corridor.

By the numbers: Amtrak police have responded this yr to 47 assaults at Union Station, up from 32 assaults in 2021, per the Washington Put up. Burglaries, robberies, and vandalism have additionally elevated this yr.

• Ward 6 council member Charles Allen tells Axios that administration growing safety patrols within the station could be a welcome step.

What they’re saying: Union Station’s largest situation is its “full absence of retail exercise,” Allen, who lives a few blocks away, tells Axios. He notes that the decline of commuter rail ridership has made working a enterprise in Union Station a lot tougher.

• Earlier than the pandemic made issues worse, the station was following the pattern of malls which have misplaced massive retailers. Closures on the station embody Starbucks in July, H&M in 2021, and Barnes & Noble in 2013.

Flashback: In June, the Nationwide Park Service cleared no less than a dozen tents outdoors of Union Station on Columbus Circle. The realm has struggled with offering providers for unsheltered folks, and guests have taken observe.