Union Station Metro

Great location. Amtrak’s last stop from New York to Washington. Close to our hotel. Offers different types of food. We were going to be here for the weekend, and cause i wasn’t able to get monday off, we were going to leave on sunday. So we had decided to find our way around, mind you we have never been here before so we didn’t really know which way to go. so we kept stopping, trying to get our bearings and reading signs. There was this old guy, kind of homeless type that got really close to my brother and then started yelling at us cause we were in his way, now true we did get in people way but most people could see that we where not familiar with our surroundings and they were politely going around us. We were standing near a guardrail and we were in his way. I don’t see it and to start yelling, i told him buzz off, and i guess he heard my accent from NY. He just walked away. yelling of course. Then there was a lady, homeless type that kept saying something to me, i just ignored her.
Who knew that there was more to come, apparently there is an issue with homeless people in the area. For the most part the station was cleaned and the subway was downstairs, (Metro) they had buses upstairs as well as the garage. They also seem to have a place to rent bikes or leave bikes for awhile.
I guess the only down thing that i can think of is when we were trying to eat breakfast at Macdonalds, there was a guy asking for money so he can eat, now this is the same guy who the night before ask us if we can spare a dollar. So i’m assuming that they hang out here.

Bottom Line: A Metro Station serving the Red Line and smartly located adjacent to Union Station’s commuter terminal for the MARC and VRE.
Most Metro stations are the same — red hexagon tiles on the ground, dim lighting, waffle roof, long escalators and the smell of an electrical train. This station has all of those «features,» plus the convenience of being located adjacent to many other transportation options. As the name implies, the Union Station Metro stop is located within the beautiful and historic Union Station. Because of this, transfers to and from Amtrak (both the Northeast Regional and Acela), MARC and VRE are easy. Additinally, Union Station has a parking lot, bike parking, access to cabs, Capital Bike Share, tour buses, etc.
The Union Station Metro stop is easy to navigate because there is only one platform since only the red line comes through here. From Union Station, your choices on the red line are to go North towards Glenmont or to go Northeast towards Shady Grove so just be sure you know which variety of north you need to go!

Having a metro station that takes you directly into a larger transit hub is an absolute must (I’m looking at you NYC…) these days, and I’m grateful for the option here in DC. The only train line that comes into the station is the Red Line, but you can transfer from most other lines onto the Red only a few stops away from Union Station.
If you’re heading to a secondary transit option, versus just commuting from work to home, give yourself extra time to navigate what can be a very crowded and somewhat confusing terminal. Lines for the escalator and to swipe out through the turnstiles can be brutal during peak times, so plan ahead if you know you have to catch a connecting Amtrak train or bus.

This historical site is a great place to meet friends. I love this building. The shops come and go, but there are always interesting places to grab coffee or a snack. There are beautiful statues throughout the building. There are local vendors with produce and hand made items. The Christmas decorations are especially nice. The area is so much more than just a metro station.

4 stars due to the easy access & the always polite Station Managers… regardless who’s working & the schedule. I know most think the Metro & Gallery Pl are the best stops on the Metro, yet here, you’re only footsteps to food, shopping & of course the big boy trains.
Especially during the snow season & I’m in the mood for a quick trip to H&M, VS or some quick food…30 minute ride & I’m here.
Plus it’s one of the secured Metro stops due to various 5 – 0 jurisdictions walking around LOL.

This was our first time to DC and we learned quickly that the best way to get around is using the Metro. Our hotel shuttle dropped us off at Union Station. From Union Station, you can easily walk to the Capitol Building, Library of Congress, Supreme Court, Japanese-​American memorial, Postal Museum (next door), and National Botanical Gardens.
We bought SmartTrip cards that we can load up with our credit card to travel anywhere the Metro train went. The lines are color coded. At first it may seem confusing but after riding it for a few days, we knew exactly how to ride the Metro. We rode the Metro all the way to Tyson Center in Virginia and also to Alexandria, VA.
Our mistake was flying into Washington-​Dulles Airport which is too far from downtown DC. We should have flown into Ronald Reagan Airport which has a Metro station right across from it. We rented a car from Dulles Airport and it ended up being a waste of money since we never drove it during our stay except to drive back to the airport.
The Union Station has shopping and a food court. The food court is okay. But it was convenient. There are also kiosks where you can get maps and book tours. There was one booth which was run by the Cherry Blossom Festival committee and the lady who worked there was so nice. She told us of events going on during Cherry Blossom Festival and the festival that was happening with the fireworks at night. She explained how we could get there using the Metro.

Central hub for the Metro that is close to the Capitol Building. Took the Red line from the white house area to Union Station. Clean and easy navigation within the Metro overall. Union station has a «shopping mall» area with a few stores including MAC, L’Occitan and some for options such as Au Bön Pain and a Pizzeria Uno’s upstairs.

Today I watched as a drug addict tried to exit an inbound turn style while someone was going through it. This resulted in a battle of body weight and the drug addict lost. Then she climbed over the short wall and left. It was an invigorating way to start my morning.

Union station metro is a confusing place… There’s pretty much no way on finding out which train is which… There is a customer service area every comer… but there is so many people and huge lines waiting for help and services…
There is many trains going to to certain locations… You can purchase it online or at union station… I suggest you get tickets online since there is so many people you might be late or tired just waiting to try to purchase a ticket… There are Guards everywhere… but there not really helpfully… restrooms are hard to find… Pretty much hidden and lots of people use in it… Bathrooms are pretty disgusting… the waiting area is pretty clean so that’s a plus. Tickets goes up with last minute purchase… so get your tickets fast!

Worst place I’ve ever tried public transportation in my life. Not that I expect it to be fun or pretty or even cheap, this takes the cake on the most horrible experience I’ve ever had traveling underground. One: it IS extremely expensive. Two: the station managers/​kiosk workers are horribly rude, at best. Three: It is so frustrating to be an tourist trying to buy a one-​way fare, because you can’t. Oh, and Four: they charge you when you leave and mark the price up… what?! There are truly few things that I will include the word «hate» with, but this is one of them.

Union Station is walkable to a fair amount of Downtown, including being the closest thing to Georgetown Law and reasonable to the government buildings in the area. It’s better lit and busier than the nearby Judiciary Square area after dark. Union Station itself is a rather large shopping area and transit hub, so this is a useful stop.
The Metro exit is closer to the surface and seems to have shorter and less error-​prone escalators than many stops in the area.

So we are reviewing Metro stations now? OK, whatever. Here are some points about the Union Station Metro Stop:
— It’s on the Red Line
— Escalators work 93% of the time
— The trains are on time unless there’s an issue with the Red Line, which is almost always
— Platform is small so it can get crowded
— Provides easy access to Union Station, with direct entrance to their massive Food Court

Super endroit pour shopping

This metro station sucks. The Union station itself is a four star, but the metro itself really bad. Its ok when the trains are on time but when the trains aren’t on time and the platform gets crowded it gets scary. Afraid someone will fall off because its so small. There also a lot of pan handlers outside this station. Scary.

I have regularly commuted to this station since 2007. During rush hour this station handles a lot of traffic because the Amtrak and MARC regional trains also use Union Station (their gates are upstairs in Union Station proper, separate from the metro). Try to board the trains toward the center of the track, especially for six-​car trains. Trains pull all the way to the end of the platform (at every other station, too) and usually there’s a big crowd of people running to catch up and trying to cram in the last car.
Note that if you want to buy a new SmartTrip card (a plastic, reloadable metro card), there is only one machine at this station, which is located at the First Street entrance. In early summer 2012 Metro instituted a fare hike where trips with paper farecards cost $ 1 more than trips with a SmartTrip card. The SmartTrip card costs $ 10 to buy; $ 5 buys the card and $ 5 is fare money preloaded on the card. So if you are going to be taking the metro (or a metro bus) more than five times while you’re in Washington, save yourself money and get a SmartTrip card. There are machines to buy paper farecards and to add money to your SmartTrip card at both entrances.

Like most Metro stations that board inside, this station definitely left a legacy. I was ultimately amused with this station, not only for it’s ability to be an inside-​boarding station, but also to be one station that ultimately is very well-​maintained and clean. Although I did end up getting chased down the stairs one time by a pair of dude’s who thought I was someone else, I was able to keep the person far away from me. Even though I had discovered a problem with my ticket earlier in the one week (and had been marked down by an employee), I was able to safely travel through the gate without these guys chasing behind me. Obviously, when the kid noticed I didn’t turn my head after he called someone elses name, the kid ran off, and stopped chasing me. But I ended up «running» down the escalator (litterally). Although Metro is normally pretty up on security, and is pretty tight at most stations, this security issue didn’t leave a lasting impression.
Although I came back later that week and told the employees about the issue, it didn’t seem like much to them. They understood why the ticket had a problem, and took my case onto the books.
Despite this one problem, I don’t feel this left any negative impact in my life. If I’m ever in the area again, I’ll indeed continue to use the metro, as it is the only way to travel in the Washington, DC area. And coming from the only train station in the city, is a big plus for reliability to shuffle people to/​from their destination fairly quickly.
I only found a few small problems. There are two essential entrances. One is right by the door, but that one has the impact of being for those who need to buy a ticket still, and although the other further back has an elevator and escalator, I find this one to be a little problem in security (the lights were lit only bright enough for people to see and no further for security to take note of problems).
Personally, if security had been around, and had been travelling between the two locations, they would have spotted the incident, but they didn’t. Please adjust the lighting here to make it brighter in the escalator area, and keep security moving! Their wasn’t any person in the station master’s office at the time this incident occurred, but, that’s not the point here, it’s been noted and straightened out why I went through the gate and not through the turnstiles that time, and I’m thankful for my ticket’s problem.