Washington Union Station - Main Entrance — Local services in Washington

For users taking the MARC train from Union station, I highly recommend you download the Transit app and the CharmPass app.

If you take the metro to Union Station, there's an escalator that will pretty much take you straight to the MARC train waiting area.

For Shady Grove, the escalator will be at the back of your train. For Glenmont, the escalator will be at the front of the train.

The Transit app will let you know the train departure time and the stops. There will also be screens displaying the same info in the waiting area.

The staff members will announce when you can leave the waiting area to board the train. I would recommend getting to the waiting area at least 15 minutes before the train departure time.

The CharmPass app allows you to buy your MARC train pass, and when you're on the train, you'll have to hit the green button to activate it for the staff members to check your ticket. There are also ticket kiosks for you to purchase a physical ticket, which you'll hand staff members when they ask for it onboard the train.

And yes, there are pigeons inside the station. They are perfectly harmless and very amusing to watch...

Traveling by Amtrak between Washington and the cities to the East Coast is the way to go. It's a whole lot easier and less stressful then driving or flying, it's cheaper, and it avoids a lot of aggravation caused by TSA at the airports. That being said, dropping someone off at DC Union Station is an exercise in frustration coupled with sheer terror. The traffic getting to this building at any time during daylight hours is crazy. Washington drivers must take classes in offensive driving. It's like road rage on steroids. the only thing that stops it from being one big bumper car event is that most of the time the traffic is gridlocked to a...

A grand and impressive entrance that really sets the tone for arriving in DC. The architecture is beautiful, with that classic, historic feel. It can get busy, but it’s well-organized and easy to navigate whether you’re catching a train or just passing through. Plenty of shops and places to grab a bite inside, too. A landmark in...