A Once Proud Location

As much as I love travel, it is rare I take the train. There is no way I would achieve status since my record for train trips is two per year. It's a good option and a major reason I don't look forward to it is Washington's Union Station is run down.

Not long ago they remodeled. There was a movie theater, many shops and a Fat Tuesday which looked good because they sold multicolored frozen margaritas. I don't drink. It looked good.

Now there are run of the mill restaurants in a half filled food court, as many panhandlers as ever and a couple shops. Stores are few and far between. This might be a place to use points to enter the Acela Lounge.

Establishing there are not many train trips, it wouldn't pay to purchase one year of lounge access. It is probably a good option for business travelers. There is a double standard that Americans don't ride trains like the rest of the world and if Amtrak made improvements there would be more ridership.

My last train trip was to Richmond. Buying the ticket in advance it cost sixteen dollars one way. Gas was closer to five dollars per gallon at the time so it was a sensible option.

The ride down was great, the return trip was delayed by a couple hours. If a freight train has an accident- they use the same tracks so everything is backed up.

What will happen to Union Station? There are facets of grandeur in the architecture, It's a ghost town and they need a revamp like Penn Station in New York. Moynihan Hall is new and impressive. It may not have the unique style of Grand Central Terminal some six blocks away. It is definitely an upgrade.

For my purposes it might make more sense to enter and exit from Alexandria. The station near the King Street Metro is mostly a platform. It is a good location for a stop. There will come a day when Union Station is occupied. The pandemic hurt businesses there more than most.

If there are short trips it is a good option. I have ridden the train to Baltimore, New York and Philadelphia. Train stations can be architectural marvels that conjure another era. It is better environmentally to take the train instead of driving.

In Europe some short flights have been removed since the train is a better option. Amtrak had a partnership with United Airlines which made sense around Newark. I don't know if there is a partnership with another airline.

Rail travel has to be made more interesting so more use it. If nothing else, it beats riding the bus. Ironically, some train destinations are reached by motor coach. It is important to explore different travel options.