Amtrak is suspending service to parts of Virginia in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
And Amtrak says there are special vehicle traffic patterns around Union Station in D.C. that will extra time to get to the station. Also, there is limited access to taxi and rideshare services.
The Northeast Regional rail line will stop at D.C.’s Union Station for Jan. 19 and 20, according to the railroad company.
Normally, the Northeast Regional line makes stops in Virginia cities such as Roanoke, Charlottesville, Richmond and Norfolk. Those are the southernmost stops along the route, with its northernmost points being in Boston and Springfield, Massachusetts.
“After last week’s violent attack on the U.S. Capitol, we are taking extra steps to continue ensuring the safety of our employees and customers in Washington, D.C. and across our network as we prepare for the Inauguration,” Amtrak said in a news release.
“In addition to limiting ticket sales and requiring masks to be worn at all times, we are increasing our police enforcement to ensure strong compliance, remove noncomplying customers and ban those that don’t follow our policies,” Amtrak said.
Other moves include deploying additional Amtrak Police officers onboard trains and in stations to support front line staff, along with “utilizing additional support from TSA and partner law enforcement agencies.”
Amtrak said that there is no Metro service at Union Station, and there’s no access to taxi or ride share services either. It advised riders to use the nearby NoMa/Galludet Metro station, which takes about 13 minutes to walk.
President-elect Joe Biden will no longer be taking an Amtrak train to D.C. for his inauguration because of security concerns, a person briefed on the decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
