Plans to expand and upgrade Union Station in D.C. might have gone overboard with parking, according to the public comments on the project's draft Environmental Impact Statement.
Plans to give Union Station in Washington, D.C. a multi-billion dollar upgrade are caught up in a controversy over parking, according to an article by Alex Holt.
"A growing number of organizations, neighborhood groups, and public officials have expressed concerns over just how many parking spaces the station needs," reports Holt. "Many leaders see a reduction in parking as leaning into a transportation future that is less car-dependent."
The parking criticisms have emerged during extended public comment for the project's draft Environmental Impact Statement, completed by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which is leading planning of the project.
In a year, 37 million people use Union Station to access Amtrak, Metrorail, Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC), and Virginia Railway Express (VRE) rail systems, as well as intercity and local bus services, the DC Streetcar, and for-hire vehicles. The proposed upgrades would target platforms, passenger bottlenecks, and make other expansions to accommodate expected ridership growth, according to Holt.
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