[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 145 (Wednesday, September 18, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E917]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCTION OF THE UNION STATION REDEVELOPMENT CORPORATION FUNDING 
                            ELIGIBILITY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 18, 2024

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce a bill to make the Union 
Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC), a nonprofit, eligible for 
funding under the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger 
Rail (FSP) Program, the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety 
Improvements (CRISI) Program, the Rebuilding American Infrastructure 
with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Program and the National 
Infrastructure Project Assistance Program, also known as the Mega 
Program. Funding under these transportation programs is essential to 
implement the planned expansion and modernization of Union Station in 
the District of Columbia, known as the Washington Union Station 
Expansion Project (USEP). I am pleased Senator Chris Van Hollen has 
introduced this bill in the Senate.
  Union Station is owned by the federal government, and USRC manages 
and operates the station under a lease with the federal government. The 
members of USRC's board of directors are the Federal Railroad 
Administration, Amtrak, Federal City Council, the District of Columbia 
and the USRC President and CEO. USRC is the only entity exclusively 
dedicated to the management and operations of Union Station and 
therefore should be eligible for funding under the FSP Program, the 
CRISI Program, the RAISE Program and the Mega Program.
  Union Station is a vital local, regional and national intermodal 
transportation hub that, pre-pandemic, welcomed more than 100,000 
travelers and visitors each day--more than either Ronald Reagan 
Washington National Airport or Washington Dulles International Airport. 
Located five blocks from the U.S. Capitol, Union Station serves as a 
gateway to the Nation's capital, as well as the backbone that connects 
East Coast rail lines to the north and south. People rely on Union 
Station every day to get to work and to visit the Nation's capital.
  Despite the vital role Union Station plays in the Nation's capital, 
it has not undergone major renovation since the 1980s. The USEP 
represents a historic transportation and economic development 
opportunity for the Nation's capital and the national capital region, 
but billions of dollars are needed to carry it out. This bill would 
give USRC access to critical funding.

                          ____________________