@@sammymarrco47 the quality of the amtrak seats is so far above the quality fo the VRE seats, I hope they bring back the program especially for daily VRE tickets also
DC's Union Station was designed by the SAME person who designed the famous Flatiron Building as seen in Spider-Man, Daniel Burnham! He also worked on Pittsburgh's Union/Penn Station, the Columbian Exposition's White City in Chicago in 1893 as well as the city plans for Baguio and Manila when the US colonized the Philippines. Daniel Burnham's firm also helped design Chicago Union Station but he died before construction began and it was picked up by its successor firm Graham, Anderson, Probst & White. Before DC Union Station opened, the B&O operated out of New Jersey Ave station while the B&P (a Penn subsidiary) had another station formerly at the intersection of B Street (now Constitution Ave) NW & 6th Street NW. The decision of the Penn RR and B&O to build a union station together allowed the creation of the National Mall as it appears today. Having it under one roof promised that Washington would finally have a station both large enough to handle large crowds and impressive enough to befit the city's role as the federal capital. Daniel was assisted by Pierce Anderson and he was inspired by a number of architectural styles. Classical elements included the Arch of Constantine (for the main façade) and the great vaulted spaces of the Baths of Diocletian (for the interior). He wanted it to be in a monumental manner so it could be the vestibule of the capital, a grand station for a grand city.
Howard D. Woodson was a structural engineer who worked for Daniel Burnham. Woodson designed the structural steel for the roof of Union Station. Woodson was born in Pittsburgh and graduated from the school that is now Univ. of Pittsburgh in 1899. Woodson moved from Chicago to Washington. A high school in DC is named for H. D. Woodson.
6:58 some NE Regional fares between D.C. and Baltimore Penn are only $5 each way. Unlike the $10 PHL or $20 NYP tickets, these don't need waiting for a sale or planning in advance
Never gonna give you up! That was a fine update on a station I used often in the '70s as a student and then young bureaucrat. I last visited it when taking a train to/from Chicago in 2006, so I'm glad to have a look at what's happened over the years and a peek at the next renovation (which I've seen covered in the Wash. Post recently). Appreciate the good visuals and fine narrative, thanks!
Thanks for the interesting video Sammy! Didn't realise Union Station had all the connections. I vaguely remember visiting the Great Hall when I was last in DC. A few days ago, my friend and I travelled on Europe's 3rd oldest metro - The Glasgow Subway. Managed to ride the new stock. Never gonna give up being a trainspotter from the UK🙂
Speaking of VRE, Amtrak once had a station in Woodbridge, VA but it was shut down and later demolished due to low usage. VRE has built it's own station in Woodbridge which Amtrak also uses, CSX owns the tracks that VRE and MARC uses
I like the fact that this is both an April Fool's joke, but also a bit of history. I kinda wish that Laurel, which hosts a MARC station, could also host an AMTRAK stop.
that was the goal, I want people to learn something with my videos even if they're here for the funni. Especially like yourself are watching this after April fools.
Wrong line; Laurel is on the Camden line. What I wish was that it was possible to get to BWI from the Camden line. It crosses over the Penn line just north of the airport, IIRC.
@@gravityissues5210 I don't know what you mean by wrong line, but yes--I am aware that the Laurel stops are on the Camden line(looked up that info after I posted this). But I agree about your idea of having Camden lines being able to get to BWI.
@@lego4virgo Amtrak's NEC shares tracks with the MARC Penn Line, which is what I meant by "wrong line." To get a stop in Laurel on Amtrak would mean running a whole new route over the (non-electrified) CSX track that the MARC Camden Line runs on. The NEC lines go east of Laurel; the nearest Penn station stops to Laurel are probably Bowie State, south-east of Muirkirk serving S. Laurel; and Odenton, south-east of Laurel station, serving Laurel proper; neither are currently Amtrak stops.
I first visited Union Station in 1977 when the infamous visitor center pit took up the Great Hall. I also rode the first segment of MetroRail between DuPont Circle and Rhode Island Av. to get there. I later worked for Amtrak from the mid-1980s to 1999 as a cafe attendant (LSA) out of Washington. I was there for the grand re-dedication of the station in 1988, and it was stunning and busy. I was at the 100th anniversary of Union Station in 2008 when a lot of historic equipment was on display, before I moved back to Ohio, and in 2016 for the farewell to the AEM-7s excursion. Then I didn't see the station again until this past New Year's Eve. What a reversal. Truly depressing, knowing what it looked like over 30 years before.
I was on the first train to ever leave from Van Ness-UDC on 12/5/81. (I don't count free-ride day because it isn't real) I've even got a case for being the first to enter the station. I went down the escalator on the east side. Nobody on the mezzanine, the escalators. the platform, or the train. I was number one all the way. I rode down to Union Station for some new Amtrak timetables. The thing I remember best was, on the way back, standing behind the motorman's cab and noticing that the tracks shared a common tunnel between Dupont Circle and Woodley Park/Zoo. Are there any other instances of that in the system? The new service paid me rich dividends on 1/13/82. That was the day of the Air Florida crash and the Metro accident, which was not on my line. I got home dead on time, like any other day. My office-mates told all kinds of horror stories about their commutes.
Although the layout at Union Station can be confusing, they have pretty decent signage to help you find what you want, for the most part. I find the station intriguing.
Amtrak doesn’t go a lot of places I go, and I only use it up the NE, which I don’t do that often. I have family in KY near Nashville, I looked one time for fun and that hybrid Amtrak and bus trip: 40 hours. One nice thing, if you buy ahead enough, you can pick up the NE regional at VRE stations. I assume if no one buys one before a few days out, they cancel the train stopping there, but if you buy earlier than that you’ll generally have two or three choices on any given day. I and my wife have used that to go from the Virginia suburbs to Philly or NYC without needing to get to Union Station and transfer. That is very nice and makes it a way less annoying trip than driving or flying.
I like Union Station a lot. You’re right that there are a lot of connections. But they’re not the easiest to get to. The walk to the bus terminal can be pretty long. And to get to the DC streetcar requires you to walk through all the buses in the garage and exit.
You said that you did not have any other stations to compare Washington DC station to for good connections to get around. Most of the northeast larger city stations have good connections with both local and intercity busses and commuter rail. New York City is most likely the biggest station for connections. You have the Long Island Railroad serving the whole island. New Jersey Transit trains terminate here and you can connect with that service at any station Amtrak stops at from Trenton to New York City. In Philadelphia we have an extensive commuter rail network serving the greater Philadelphia suburbs as well as local service from Wilmington , DE to Philadelphia. You also have a line from Philadelphia to Trenton, NJ where you can connect with Amtrak or NJ transit local trains to New York. Finally if you get to Boston you again have many commuter rail connections as well as bus and subway and trolley line services that serve the Boston metro area. Some of the other smaller northeast line stations also connect with local commuter rail or bus services. That is one of the reasons the northeast line is so busy. You can get to most areas without a car besides the frequent rail service.
what I meant was that I personally have not been to any other major train station so I have nothing to personally compare it to. of course you can compare it to those other stations on paper.
I was just giving you additional information. I live in the Philadelphia area and have ridden to all the stations I mentioned as well as several other smaller stations on the northeast line.
Take a trip to Poland, and do a video on the Main Warsaw train station. Thought it'd be cool, if you did that. By the way, this was a good and funny video. Thanks.
I would point out that there is only one Amtrak station inside the District of Columbia, so the title is incorrect. It is not the least used station nor the most used station. It is the only station inside the district of Columbia. If you were to expand to the Washington metropolitan area or DMV you would have to include Rockville, new Carrollton, Silver Spring & Alexandria Amtrak stations and it will still be more people going to Union Station then those other stations combine. So the title still is incorrect.
its the only station in DC so by definition its the most and least used lol, also I'm *not* counting the DC metro area in this video. It was originally an April Fools video, so that's the joke.
@@GENIUSA1A it's not empty, but not full either. Some riders may still be teleworking a few days a week. Another big problem VRE has been having is afternoon/evening delays due to Amtrak train congestion at Union station. When Amtrak is late, it causes VRE to be late. Riders are not happy with these delays
Hopefully one day soon L’Enfant will be an “Amtrak” station again someday soon
Did amtrak stop there when VRE had the step up program? I can’t find anything online saying if they did or not.
@@sammymarrco47 yes they did! I’ve seen them do it and it’s on the old schedules
that's so trippy but if they do it again ill have to make a new video once they release the data.
@@sammymarrco47 the quality of the amtrak seats is so far above the quality fo the VRE seats, I hope they bring back the program especially for daily VRE tickets also
Hi trains are awesome!
DC's Union Station was designed by the SAME person who designed the famous Flatiron Building as seen in Spider-Man, Daniel Burnham! He also worked on Pittsburgh's Union/Penn Station, the Columbian Exposition's White City in Chicago in 1893 as well as the city plans for Baguio and Manila when the US colonized the Philippines. Daniel Burnham's firm also helped design Chicago Union Station but he died before construction began and it was picked up by its successor firm Graham, Anderson, Probst & White. Before DC Union Station opened, the B&O operated out of New Jersey Ave station while the B&P (a Penn subsidiary) had another station formerly at the intersection of B Street (now Constitution Ave) NW & 6th Street NW. The decision of the Penn RR and B&O to build a union station together allowed the creation of the National Mall as it appears today.
Having it under one roof promised that Washington would finally have a station both large enough to handle large crowds and impressive enough to befit the city's role as the federal capital. Daniel was assisted by Pierce Anderson and he was inspired by a number of architectural styles. Classical elements included the Arch of Constantine (for the main façade) and the great vaulted spaces of the Baths of Diocletian (for the interior). He wanted it to be in a monumental manner so it could be the vestibule of the capital, a grand station for a grand city.
if Wikipedia was one man....
@@sammymarrco47 Well my nickname in middle school was the walking encyclopedia lol!
Never gonna give up on Marc through running to Alexandria!!!!!
How about Marc to Manassas and VRE to Newark DE 😂
@@sammymarrco47 please fill the perryville-newark commuter gap 🙏
Howard D. Woodson was a structural engineer who worked for Daniel Burnham. Woodson designed the structural steel for the roof of Union Station. Woodson was born in Pittsburgh and graduated from the school that is now Univ. of Pittsburgh in 1899. Woodson moved from Chicago to Washington. A high school in DC is named for H. D. Woodson.
1:45 Did I miss the NER Virginia extensions to Richmond, Norfolk, Newport News, and Roanoke?
I considered that under the one to Boston but I should've added those too. My local town has the train to Roanoke smh.
6:58 some NE Regional fares between D.C. and Baltimore Penn are only $5 each way. Unlike the $10 PHL or $20 NYP tickets, these don't need waiting for a sale or planning in advance
haha thats cheaper then MARC
Never gonna give you up! That was a fine update on a station I used often in the '70s as a student and then young bureaucrat. I last visited it when taking a train to/from Chicago in 2006, so I'm glad to have a look at what's happened over the years and a peek at the next renovation (which I've seen covered in the Wash. Post recently). Appreciate the good visuals and fine narrative, thanks!
you're welcome, if/when those renovations are done it will be one of the best
Thanks for the interesting video Sammy! Didn't realise Union Station had all the connections. I vaguely remember visiting the Great Hall when I was last in DC. A few days ago, my friend and I travelled on Europe's 3rd oldest metro - The Glasgow Subway. Managed to ride the new stock. Never gonna give up being a trainspotter from the UK🙂
Glad you enjoyed it
Speaking of VRE, Amtrak once had a station in Woodbridge, VA but it was shut down and later demolished due to low usage. VRE has built it's own station in Woodbridge which Amtrak also uses, CSX owns the tracks that VRE and MARC uses
I like the fact that this is both an April Fool's joke, but also a bit of history. I kinda wish that Laurel, which hosts a MARC station, could also host an AMTRAK stop.
that was the goal, I want people to learn something with my videos even if they're here for the funni. Especially like yourself are watching this after April fools.
Wrong line; Laurel is on the Camden line.
What I wish was that it was possible to get to BWI from the Camden line. It crosses over the Penn line just north of the airport, IIRC.
@@gravityissues5210 I don't know what you mean by wrong line, but yes--I am aware that the Laurel stops are on the Camden line(looked up that info after I posted this). But I agree about your idea of having Camden lines being able to get to BWI.
@@gravityissues5210 you can, its just gonna be a two bus ride and take awhile
@@lego4virgo Amtrak's NEC shares tracks with the MARC Penn Line, which is what I meant by "wrong line." To get a stop in Laurel on Amtrak would mean running a whole new route over the (non-electrified) CSX track that the MARC Camden Line runs on. The NEC lines go east of Laurel; the nearest Penn station stops to Laurel are probably Bowie State, south-east of Muirkirk serving S. Laurel; and Odenton, south-east of Laurel station, serving Laurel proper; neither are currently Amtrak stops.
Nice usage of footage from yourself/family members. Adds a more personal vibe to the vid.
Thanks Devin, the historical archive I have is pretty cool
I first visited Union Station in 1977 when the infamous visitor center pit took up the Great Hall. I also rode the first segment of MetroRail between DuPont Circle and Rhode Island Av. to get there. I later worked for Amtrak from the mid-1980s to 1999 as a cafe attendant (LSA) out of Washington. I was there for the grand re-dedication of the station in 1988, and it was stunning and busy. I was at the 100th anniversary of Union Station in 2008 when a lot of historic equipment was on display, before I moved back to Ohio, and in 2016 for the farewell to the AEM-7s excursion. Then I didn't see the station again until this past New Year's Eve. What a reversal. Truly depressing, knowing what it looked like over 30 years before.
thanks for sharing your history!
I was on the first train to ever leave from Van Ness-UDC on 12/5/81. (I don't count free-ride day because it isn't real) I've even got a case for being the first to enter the station. I went down the escalator on the east side. Nobody on the mezzanine, the escalators. the platform, or the train. I was number one all the way. I rode down to Union Station for some new Amtrak timetables. The thing I remember best was, on the way back, standing behind the motorman's cab and noticing that the tracks shared a common tunnel between Dupont Circle and Woodley Park/Zoo. Are there any other instances of that in the system?
The new service paid me rich dividends on 1/13/82. That was the day of the Air Florida crash and the Metro accident, which was not on my line. I got home dead on time, like any other day. My office-mates told all kinds of horror stories about their commutes.
Although the layout at Union Station can be confusing, they have pretty decent signage to help you find what you want, for the most part. I find the station intriguing.
yeah its not bad after your first few times there
Amtrak doesn’t go a lot of places I go, and I only use it up the NE, which I don’t do that often. I have family in KY near Nashville, I looked one time for fun and that hybrid Amtrak and bus trip: 40 hours. One nice thing, if you buy ahead enough, you can pick up the NE regional at VRE stations. I assume if no one buys one before a few days out, they cancel the train stopping there, but if you buy earlier than that you’ll generally have two or three choices on any given day. I and my wife have used that to go from the Virginia suburbs to Philly or NYC without needing to get to Union Station and transfer. That is very nice and makes it a way less annoying trip than driving or flying.
yep I live near Manassas so its very convenient for NE or down to Roanoke!
nice delivery and informative.
Thanks James, that’s the goal!
I like Union Station a lot. You’re right that there are a lot of connections. But they’re not the easiest to get to. The walk to the bus terminal can be pretty long. And to get to the DC streetcar requires you to walk through all the buses in the garage and exit.
yeah they're there but they're not all easy to get too, still its better then most airports (with less walking).
VRE and MARC commuter trains also use Union Station
You said that you did not have any other stations to compare Washington DC station to for good connections to get around. Most of the northeast larger city stations have good connections with both local and intercity busses and commuter rail. New York City is most likely the biggest station for connections. You have the Long Island Railroad serving the whole island. New Jersey Transit trains terminate here and you can connect with that service at any station Amtrak stops at from Trenton to New York City. In Philadelphia we have an extensive commuter rail network serving the greater Philadelphia suburbs as well as local service from Wilmington , DE to Philadelphia. You also have a line from Philadelphia to Trenton, NJ where you can connect with Amtrak or NJ transit local trains to New York. Finally if you get to Boston you again have many commuter rail connections as well as bus and subway and trolley line services that serve the Boston metro area. Some of the other smaller northeast line stations also connect with local commuter rail or bus services. That is one of the reasons the northeast line is so busy. You can get to most areas without a car besides the frequent rail service.
what I meant was that I personally have not been to any other major train station so I have nothing to personally compare it to. of course you can compare it to those other stations on paper.
I was just giving you additional information. I live in the Philadelphia area and have ridden to all the stations I mentioned as well as several other smaller stations on the northeast line.
As a DMV native, I can confirm that there’s nothing in Union Station besides trains 😅 (although it sure is pretty)
they are building alot of housing in the area
Take a trip to Poland, and do a video on the Main Warsaw train station. Thought it'd be cool, if you did that. By the way, this was a good and funny video. Thanks.
Proszę - if i every go to Europe or Poland ill announce it and ppl can give suggestions!
@@sammymarrco47 cheap time to fly in the spring or the fall, usually. i totally recommend it.
hope you counted the MARC trains as well.
title is amtrak
Check out the new Moynihan Hall in New York Penn Station - I’ve heard great things!
I wanna go to NYC in the winter!
never gonna give you up... keep it up and have fun. take the trip. TODAY!!!
maybe after school ends
You should take a trip from union station to New York on Amtrak
I got something cooking for late summer 😉
Never gonna give you up
#RFMvids
never gonna let u down!
sweet!
I would point out that there is only one Amtrak station inside the District of Columbia, so the title is incorrect. It is not the least used station nor the most used station. It is the only station inside the district of Columbia. If you were to expand to the Washington metropolitan area or DMV you would have to include Rockville, new Carrollton, Silver Spring & Alexandria Amtrak stations and it will still be more people going to Union Station then those other stations combine. So the title still is incorrect.
its the only station in DC so by definition its the most and least used lol, also I'm *not* counting the DC metro area in this video. It was originally an April Fools video, so that's the joke.
It’s an April fool’s video…..
Never gonna give Union Station up😅
its a great station 😉
@@sammymarrco47 i work there, i have to be biased 😅
Unfortunately, VRE's ridership has not completely recovered from the pandemic
VRE looks almost empty at rush hour when I see it go by
@@GENIUSA1A it's not empty, but not full either. Some riders may still be teleworking a few days a week. Another big problem VRE has been having is afternoon/evening delays due to Amtrak train congestion at Union station. When Amtrak is late, it causes VRE to be late. Riders are not happy with these delays
NEVER gonna give U up!
never gonna let u down!
Isn’t Union the only Amtrak station in DC? Lol
that's the joke, happy April fools!
There is also the Alexandria train station that serves the DC area as well.
What?! Use less? The station is full of people whenever I go there, it’s not used less
Amtrak, VRE and MARC numbers are all under pre covid numbers (Amtrak is getting close) it's still busy but it was even busier before.
Rickrolled!
aaaand if you ask me how im feelin'
never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down
never gonna run around and desert you.
joe biden spotted! 0:46
cool, but it’s kind of crazy that career politicians have been working in DC since my dad was in high school
ok i'll comment "never gona give you up"
thanks mr Schrute
I'm never gonna comment the phrase, but I don't want to...let you down
I see what you're sayin'
lmao you fooled me there
😉 happy April fools!
Never gonna give u up
never gonna let you down!