Washington Union Station
Washington Union Station serves Washington, DC, and is a stop on 13 regularly scheduled passenger rail services.
Station Facts
- City
- Washington, DC
- Amtrak code
- WAS
- Opened
- 1907
- Routes served
- 13
- Address
- 50 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002
About this station
Washington Union Station is the principal passenger rail facility serving Washington in District of Columbia. The station first opened to passenger service in 1907 and remains in active use today. It is one of more than five hundred stations in the national passenger rail network and one of 1 regularly served stations in District of Columbia. Travelers researching this station's architecture and history may find heritage rail station archives a useful supplemental reference.
The station serves as a calling point for the trains listed below. Equipment, dwell times, and onboard amenities vary by route — long-distance trains generally include sleeping cars, dining service, and a Sightseer or Cafe lounge, while corridor and commuter trains operate as coach-only sets with a snack vendor or cafe car. Refer to each route's detail page for the equipment typically assigned and the schedule frequency.
Routes calling at Washington Union Station
| Route | Type | Operator | Endpoints |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acela | Acela (High-Speed Rail) | Amtrak | Boston ↔ Washington |
| Northeast Regional | Regional Intercity | Amtrak | Boston ↔ Culpeper |
| Cardinal | Long-Distance | Amtrak | New York ↔ Chicago |
| Crescent | Long-Distance | Amtrak | New York ↔ New Orleans |
| Silver Star | Long-Distance | Amtrak | New York ↔ Hialeah |
| Silver Meteor | Long-Distance | Amtrak | New York ↔ Hialeah |
| Palmetto | Regional Intercity | Amtrak | New York ↔ Savannah |
| Carolinian | Regional Intercity | Amtrak | New York ↔ Charlotte |
| Vermonter | Regional Intercity | Amtrak | Washington ↔ St. Albans |
| Capitol Limited | Long-Distance | Amtrak | Washington ↔ Chicago |
| Floridian | Long-Distance | Amtrak | Chicago ↔ Hialeah |
| MARC Train | Commuter Rail | Maryland Transit Administration | Washington ↔ Frederick |
| Virginia Railway Express | Commuter Rail | PRTC/NVTC | Washington ↔ Culpeper |
Popular trips from Washington
Sample one-way travel times and fare ranges for the most-searched origin-destination pairs touching Washington Union Station. Click through any pair for trip-level guidance, including connecting services and schedule frequency.
| From | To | Route | Time | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Carrollton | Washington | Acela | 46m | $35 – $202 |
| Westwood | Washington | Acela | 8h 42m | $76 – $441 |
| Providence | Washington | Acela | 8h 5m | $73 – $422 |
| New Haven | Washington | Acela | 7h 29m | $70 – $404 |
| Stamford | Washington | Acela | 6h 52m | $66 – $386 |
| New Rochelle | Washington | Acela | 6h 16m | $63 – $367 |
| New York | Washington | Acela | 5h 39m | $60 – $349 |
| Newark | Washington | Acela | 5h 3m | $57 – $330 |
| Iselin | Washington | Acela | 4h 26m | $54 – $312 |
| Trenton | Washington | Acela | 3h 50m | $51 – $294 |
| Philadelphia | Washington | Acela | 3h 12m | $47 – $275 |
| Wilmington | Washington | Acela | 2h 36m | $44 – $257 |
| Baltimore | Washington | Acela | 1h 59m | $41 – $239 |
| Linthicum | Washington | Acela | 1h 23m | $38 – $220 |
| New Carrollton | Washington | Northeast Regional | 32m | $12 – $95 |
| Washington | Alexandria | Northeast Regional | 32m | $12 – $95 |
| Boston | Washington | Northeast Regional | 9h 38m | $23 – $181 |
| Washington | Culpeper | Northeast Regional | 5h 16m | $18 – $140 |
Getting to and from the station
Most major stations include taxi stands, rideshare pickup zones, and connecting public transit. Long-term and short-term parking is generally available at corridor and long-distance stations; small flag-stop stations may be unstaffed and have limited facilities. We recommend confirming station amenities with the operator before traveling, especially for early-morning or late-night arrivals. For ground-transport options at major U.S. terminals, the station-to-downtown ground transport directory is a handy companion.
Tickets & fares
RailRover does not sell tickets. To book travel from Washington Union Station, visit the operating carrier directly. Typical advance-purchase fares from this station start at the lower bound shown for each pair above; same-day walk-up fares typically sit at the upper end of the range. Discount programs (Amtrak Guest Rewards, AAA, military, student, and senior discounts on many corridor services) can reduce these figures further.
Related Station Guides
- A practical visitor's guide to Washington's downtown transit hub
- Hotels within a short walk of major rail terminals