VRE Route to Union Station

How do the VRE and Amtrak trains from the south enter Union Station after departing L'Enfant Plaza? Is there a tunnel? Do they have to reverse into the station? I can't find any track schematics

Where the tracks pass through the I395/I295 interchange east of L'Enfant, the passenger main splits off (CP Virginia I believe) and heads toward the tunnel portal at New Jersey Ave and D St. SE. Heads under Capitol Hill and into the lower level at Union Station (which isn't as much lower as off to the side). Those tracks are through tracks, not stub ended like the upper level.

I found this bit of information. They go under a tunnel. They don't have to reverse direction to go into the station

"As mentioned, Amtrak runs diesel trains on tracks owned by CSX. Union Station is the main and only Amtrak terminal in the city. Southbound trains operate from Union Station, through the 1st Street Tunnel under Capitol Hill, onto the CSX tracks, known at that point as the Landover Subdivision ."
http://www.clouse.org/rail.html

Actually in that article it is not the Landover Subdivision. It is the RF&P Sub.

Thanks to all who answered my question. I've never entered Union Station from the south, so I wasn't quite sure how that happened.

That brings up another question: do all trains to and from the south (The Carolinians/Palmettos, for example) use that lower level track, or just VRE trains? It's technically prohibited to go out onto the platforms unless you have a ticket, so I've not been able to go see for myself.

all amtrak service from/to the RF&P (VRE routes) uses the lower level, in addition to the capitol limited, which needs its long, low platforms as it is a superliner train.

are there any high platforms on the lower level for handicapped passengers?

benltrain wrote:all amtrak service from/to the RF&P (VRE routes) uses the lower level, in addition to the capitol limited, which needs its long, low platforms as it is a superliner train.

are there any high platforms on the lower level for handicapped passengers?

Depends on what equipment they're boarding. Superliners and MARC/VRE Gallery cars and Bombardier bi-levels (the Sounder sets) are low-level only.

octr202 wrote:

benltrain wrote:all amtrak service from/to the RF&P (VRE routes) uses the lower level, in addition to the capitol limited, which needs its long, low platforms as it is a superliner train.

are there any high platforms on the lower level for handicapped passengers?

Depends on what equipment they're boarding. Superliners and MARC/VRE Gallery cars and Bombardier bi-levels (the Sounder sets) are low-level only.

I am pretty sure MARC doesn't use the lower level, because there are low platforms on the upper level

and i meant for handicapped passengers boarding the VRE Mafersas, VRE bi-levels, regionals, silver meteor, silver star, cardinal, crescent, etc.

Everything from the south uses the lower level and all the platforms are low level. The wheelchairs are put on wth hand cranked lifts, the same as most stations have around the country.

benltrain wrote:all amtrak service from/to the RF&P (VRE routes) uses the lower level, in addition to the capitol limited, which needs its long, low platforms as it is a superliner train.

are there any high platforms on the lower level for handicapped passengers?

Just for the sake of clarity:
The Capitol Limited often boards from the upper-level platforms as well, as a number of tracks on that level are also not raised. Since the Capitol consist is put together in the yard, it's not necessary for it to board on the lower level unless there are space constraints.

On another note, MARC often boards and disembarks one train a day on the lower level, again, owing to space constraints. Union Station is feeling the crunch of losing tracks 1-6 to the Metro and storage, unfortunately, not to mention a few additional platform tracks on the lower level.

-Rafi

Seems like there's room where a couple more platforms could be restored on the lower level, anyway, with minimal investment. Any chance of that happening?

krtaylor wrote:Seems like there's room where a couple more platforms could be restored on the lower level, anyway, with minimal investment. Any chance of that happening?

I assume you're talking from the perspective of operating more trains. There is the potential of restoring some of the tracks & platforms (such as track 22) and also revising operations to use track 29.

However, the operational bottleneck isn't platform/station track availability, it's primarily operating slots on CSX, equipment availability, and, now to a lesser degree, layover tracks for midday storage.

And of course, all of the rework costs would be attributed to VRE (or if they materialize, TransDominion Express or Southeast High-Speed service).

Concerning CSX, I suppose what would really be needed would be a further-out bypass of the Washington DC metro area, so freights wouldn't need to run through there at all. The same thing is needed for highway traffic but that's another discussion.

Equipment availability, well, that's easily solved with money, no imagination really required.

I saw trains leaving a tunnel just south of the Capitol on Google Earth. So this must be how trains get from Union Station to L'Enfant Plaza. Very interesting! Thanks for the information!

Carmine wrote:I saw trains leaving a tunnel just south of the Capitol on Google Earth. So this must be how trains get from Union Station to L'Enfant Plaza. Very interesting! Thanks for the information!

does the tunnel go close enough to the capitol to make it a security threat?