Union Station Redevelopment Act of 1981
PL 97-125 (S.1192), enacted 12/29/1981

PUBLIC LAW 97-125—DEC. 29, 1981 
95 STAT. 1667 
Public Law 97-125 
97th Congress 
An Act 
To amend the National Visitor Center Facilities Act of 1968 to provide for the 
Dec. 29,1981 
rehabilitation and completion of Union Station in Washington, District of Ctolum- 
[S. 1192] 
bia, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of 
America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be Union station 
cited as the "Union Station Redevelopment Act of 1981". 
ASTigsi"^''* 
SEC. 2. The Congress finds and declares that— 
40 use 80i note. 
(1) Union Station in Washington, District of Columbia, com- 40 use sii note. 
missioned by Congress in 1903, designed by Daniel H. Bumham 
in monumental Beaux Arts style, and completed by the Washing-
ton Terminal Company in 1907, is an important historic and 
architectural landmark of 
the Nation's Capital; 
(2) Union Station was built and used exclusively as a rail 
passenger station until Congress decided to make the historic 
Union Station building a National Visitor Center in 1968, allo-
cating rail passenger operations to a replacement facility behind 
the historic building; 
(3) the use of rail passenger service to and from Washington, 
District of Columbia, declining when the National Visitor Center 
Facilities Act of 1968 was enacted, has dramatically increased 40 use soi note. 
since that time with the advent of and substantial Federal 
investment in the National Railroad Passenger Corporation and 
the northeast corridor improvement project, justifying a reversal 
of 
the policy adopted 13 years ago; 
(4) the historic Union Station building is now unsafe and 
unusable, and the replacement railroad station is inconvenient 
and inadequate for present and projected rail ridership demand; 
(5) it is in the national interest to preserve the architectural 
features of Union Station and to provide in the Union Station 
complex a sound and fully operational transportation terminal; 
(6) the Union Station complex and its vicinity present an 
opportunity for successful commercial development integrated 
with the transportation functions of 
the facility; and 
(7) the purposes of this Act are to achieve the goals of historic 
preservation and improved rail use of Union Station with maxi-
mum reUance on the private sector and minimum requirement 
for Federal assistance. 
SEC. 3. Title I of the National Visitor Center Facilities Act of 1968 
(40 U.S.C. 801 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) by striking "National Visitor Center" in the caption of title 
I and inserting in lieu thereof "Union Station"; 
(2) by inserting a new caption "Subtitle A—National Visitor 
Center" immediately after the new title I caption; and 
(3) by adding at the end of title I the following new subtitle: 
95 STAT. 1668 
PUBLIC LAW 97-125—DEC. 29, 1981 
"Subtitle B—Union Station Redevelopment 
40 use 811. 
"SEC. 111. (a) Upon the request of the Secretary of Transportation, 
the Secretary shall assign to the Secretary of Transportation all of 
the Secretary's right, title, and interest in the Union Station com-
plex, including all agreements and leases entered into under subtitle 
A of this title. Such assignment may reserve to the Secretary the 
right to lease space for visitor services, to the extent the Secretary 
and the Secretary of Transportation may agree. For purposes of this 
title, the "Union Station complex" shall include all the real property, 
air rights, and improvements leased by the Secretary under subtitle 
A of this title, together with any property acquired and all improve-
ments made in accordance with this subtitle. 
Roof 
"(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, 
installation. 
^j^e Secretary shall, not later than twelve months after the date of 
enactment of this subsection, complete the installation of new roofs 
and associated drainage systems on all existing roof surfaces of the 
historic Union Station building. Of funds appropriated to the Secre-
tary under the construction appropriation for the National Park 
System for the fiscal year ending September 30,1982, not less than 
$8,100,000 shall be available to and allocated by the Secretary for 
such roof work. In the event the assignment provided for in subsec-
tion (a) of this section occurs prior to completion of such roof work, 
the Secretary shall continue to be responsible for such roof work until 
its completion, except as the Secretary and the Secretary of Transpor-
tation may otherwise agree. 
"(c) Prior to the assignment provided for in subsection (a) of this 
section, the Secretary shall permit the Secretary of Transportation to 
carry out or cause to be carried out the activities authorized by this 
subtitle or by title VII of the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory 
Reform Act of 1976 (45 U.S.C. 851 et seg.). 
"(d) After both the assignment provided for in subsection (a) of this 
section and the completion of the roof installation required by 
subsection 0)) of this section, the Secretary shall be relieved of the 
authority and obligation under subtitle A of this title to construct and 
operate a National Visitor Center at Union Station. The provisions of 
subtitle A of this title shall thereafter be deemed superseded by any 
contrary or inconsistent provisions of subtitle B of this title. 
40 use 812. 
"SEC. 112. The Secretary of Transportation shall provide for the 
rehabilitation and redevelopment of the Union Station complex 
primarily as a multiple-use transportation terminal serving the 
Nation's Capital, and secondarily as a commercial complex, in 
accordance with the following goals: 
"(a) Preservation of the exterior facade and other historically 
and architecturally significant features of the Union Station 
building; 
"(b) Restoration and operation of a portion of the historic 
Union Station building as a rail passenger station, together with 
holding facilities for charter, transit, and intercity buses in the 
Union Station complex; 
"(c) Commercial development of the Union Station complex 
that will, to the extent possible, financially support the contin-
ued operation and maintenance of such complex; and 
"(d) Withdrawal by the Federal Government from any active 
role in the operation and management of the Union Station 
complex as soon as practical and at the least possible Federal 
expense consistent with the goals set forth in subsections (a) 
through (c) of this section. 
PUBLIC LAW 97-125—DEC. 29, 1981 
95 STAT. 1669 
"SEC. 113. (a) There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
Secretary of Transportation such sums as may be necessary to meet 
lease and other obligations, including maintenance requirements, 
incurred by the Secretary and assigned to the Secretary of Transpor-
tation under this subtitle. The Secretary shall transfer to the Secre-
tary of Transportation at the time of such assignment such sums as 
may have been appropriated to the Secretary to meet such obliga-
tions and not yet expended as of the date of such assignment. 
"(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 102(aX5) of this title, 
the Secretary of Transportation is authorized to purchase for the 
United States any property that was leased by the Secretary under 
subtitle A of this title and assigned to the Secretary of Transportation 
under this subtitle. The purchase agreement for such property may 
provide for payment by the Secretary of Transportation over a term 
not to exceed six years. There are autnorized to be appropriated to the 
Secretary of Transportation, in addition to the sums authorized by 
subsection (a) of this section, not to exceed $275,000 per year for not to 
exceed six years to carry out such purchase. Such purchase shall not 
be subject to the provisions of title III of the Uniform Relocation 
Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 (42 
U.S.C.4651etseq.). 
"SEC. 114. (a) The Secretary of Transportation shall, on an emer-
gency basis, carry out an engineering survey of all existing structures 
at the Union Station complex for the following purposes: 
"(1) to determine those actions necessary or desirable to 
preserve the long-term structural integrity of, and provide func-
tional utility systems for, the historic Union Station building; 
"(2) in cooperation with Amtrak, to determine those actions 
necessary or desirable to restore rail passenger handling func-
tions to the historic Union Station building and otherwise 
improve rail passenger service facilities at Union Station, includ-
ing improved passenger access 
to 
the trains; and 
"(3) to prepare detailed estimates of the costs of such rehabili-
tation and improvement. 
"(b) Concurrently with the engineering survey required by subsec-
tion (a) of 
this section, the Secretary of 
Transportation, in cooperation 
with the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, shall carry out a 
plsuining and market feasibility study to assess the commercial 
development potential of the Union Station complex. Such study 
shall also include, but not be limited to, an assessment of the 
feasibility and desirability of: 
"(1) providing passenger transportation services from Union 
Station to the commercial airports in the area; 
"(2) constructing a heliport at or near the Union Station 
complex; and 
"(3) relocating to office space in Union Station the offices of 
Federal or other public transportation agencies. 
"(c) The Secretary of Transportation shall complete the engineer-
ing survey required by this section not later than six months after the 
date of enactment of this section, and shall complete the planning 
and market feasibility study required by this section not later than 
twelve months after the date of 
enactment of 
this section. 
"(d) Of amounts appropriated under section 704(a) (1) and (2) of the 
Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 (45 U.S.C. 
854(a) (1) and (2)), $1,000,000 shall be available to and be utilized by 
the Secretery of Transportation to carry out the purposes of subsec-
tions (a) and (b) of 
this section. 
Appropriation 
authorization. 
40 use 813. 
40 use 802. 
Engineering 
survey. 
40 use 814. 
Study. 
Survey 
completion. 
95 STAT. 1670 
PUBLIC LAW 97-125—DEC. 29, 1981 
Report to 
Congress. 
Funding 
prohibition. 
Development 
agreements. 
40 u s e 815. 
Developer 
selection. 
"(e) Within twelve months following the date of enactment of this 
section, the Secretary of Transportation shall submit a report to the 
Congress on the results of the engineering survey and planning and 
market feasibility studies carried out under this section. Such report 
shall be referred to the Committees on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation and Environment and Public Works of the Senate 
and the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Public Works and 
Transportation of the House, respectively. Such report shall include a 
specific commitment of Federal funds for completion of the rehabili-
tation of the historic Union Station building, together with any 
necessary request for appropriations, in the amount determined by 
the Secretary of Transportation to be necessary in light of the survey 
and studies carried out under this section, from either or both of the 
following sources: 
"(1) funds authorized to be appropriated and not yet appropri-
ated under section 704(a) of the Railroad Revitalization and 
Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 (45 U.S.C. 854(a)) that are in 
excess of the amounts set out in the last sentence of such section 
704(a); and 
"(2) funds programed or reprogramed from any other appropri-
ation available to the Secretai^r of Transportation. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection, no funds 
from the Northeast Corridor Improvement Project and other rail or 
rail-related programs in excess of $29,000,000 shall be available for 
the completion of the rehabilitation of the historic Union Station 
building or other purposes determined by the Secretary of Transpor-
tation to be necessary in light of the survey and studies carried out 
under this section if within ninety calendar days of continuous 
session of the Congress after any request for such excess funds either 
the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representa-
tives or the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 
the Senate disapproves of the availability of such excess funds for 
such purposes by majority vote. For purposes of this subsection, 
continuity of session of the Congress is broken only by an adjourn-
ment sine die, and the days on which either House is not in session 
because of an adjournment of more than three days to a day certain 
are excluded in the computation of the period described in this 
subsection. 
"SEC. 115. (a) In order to achieve the goals set out in section 112 of 
this subtitle, the Secretary of Transportation is authorized to select 
and subsequently enter into one or more agreements (hereafter in 
this Act referred, to as 'development agreements') with one or more 
responsible individuals, corporations, or other private entities with 
demonstrated experience in the financing, undertaking, and manag-
ing of commercial real estate development (hereafter in this Act 
referred to as 'developers'). 
"(b) The Secretary of Transportation shadl prescribe the procedures 
and criteria for selection of a developer for the Union Station 
complex: Provided, That no final developer selection shall be made 
unless and until at least two developers meeting minimum criteria 
prescribed by the Secretary of Transportation have submitted to the 
Secretary of Transportation specific design and financing proposals 
for the rehabilitation and redevelopment of the Union Station 
complex, and specific proposals for the acquisition, conveyance, or 
lease of real property. The Secretary of Transportation is directed to 
initiate discussions with potential developers as soon as possible 
following enactment of this section to assure the earliest possible 
selection of a developer or developers. 
PUBLIC LAW 97-125—DEC. 29, 1981 
95 STAT. 1671 
"(c) Development agreements entered into under this section shall Development 
be considered cooperative agreements for purposes of the Federal agreements. 
Grant and Cooperative Agreement Act of 1977 (41 U.S.C. 501 et seq.). 
With respect to such development agreements, the Secretary of 
Transportation is authorized to modify or waive the application of 
regulations otherwise applicable to Federal or Department of Trans-
portation financial assistance agreements, to the extent the Secre-
tary of Transportation determines in his discretion to be necessary to 
accomplish the purposes of this subtitle at the lowest cost to the 
Federal Government. 
"(d) The Secretary of Transportation is further authorized to enter 
into such other agreements and contracts, except any agreement or 
contract to sell property rights at the Union Station complex, with 
such persons, corporations, financial institutions. Federal, regional, 
or local agencies, or the Architect of the Capitol as the Secretary of 
Transportation deems necessary or desirable to carry out the pur-
poses of this subtitle. Any such agreement may be made assignable to 
a selected developer or developers of the Union Station complex. 
"SEC. 116. (aXD The Secretary of Transportation is authorized to 40 use 816. 
acquire for the United States, by lease, purchase, or otherwise, any 
interest in real property (including, without limitation, interests in 
the nature of easements or reservations) and any other property 
interest (including, without limitation, contract rights) in or relating 
or adjacent to the Union Station complex that the Secretary of 
Transportation deems necessary to carry out the purposes of this 
subtitle. 
"(2) If the Secretary of Transportation determines that property 
under the jurisdiction of the Architect of the Capitol in squares 721 
and 722 eastward of the historic Union Station building is necessary 
to carry out the purposes of this subtitle, the Secretary of Transporta-
tion may request assignment of such property to the use of the 
Secretary of Transportation, as a part of the Union Station complex, 
and subject to the provisions of this subtitle, and the Architect of the 
Capitol shall so assign such property. 
"(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of 
Transportation is authorized to maintain, use, operate, manage, and 
lease, either directly, by contract, or through development agree-
ments, any property interest held or acquired by the Secretary of 
Transportation for the United States under this subtitle, in such 
manner and subject to such terms, conditions, covenants, and ease-
ments as the Secretary of Transportation deems necessary or desir-
able to carry out the purposes of this subtitle. 
"SEC. 117. (a) The Secretary of Transportation is authorized to use 40 use 817. 
income and proceeds received from activities authorized by this 
subtitle, including, without limitation, operating and leasing income 
and payments made to the Federal Grovemment under development 
£igreements, to pay expenses incurred by the Secretary of Transporta-
tion in carrying out the purposes of this subtitle, including, without 
limitation, construction, acquisition, leasing, operation, and mainte-
nance expenses, and payments made to developers under develop-
ment agreements. 
"(b) A special deposit accoimt is hereby established in the Treasury 
of the United States, to be known £is the Union Station Fund, which 
shall be administered as a revolving fund. Such special deposit 
account shall be credited with receipts of the Secretary of Transporta-
tion from activities authorized by this subtitle and the balance in 
such special deposit account shall be available in such amounts as are 
Union Station 
Fund. 
89-194 O—82 
107:QL3 
95 STAT. 1672 
PUBLIC LAW 97-125—DEC. 29, 1981 
Parking facility. 
40 use 818. 
Parking facility, 
agreement. 
Agreement, 
release. 
40 use 819. 
40 use 802. 
Waiver. 
Supra. 
Funding 
prohibition. 
Agreements. 
Repeals. 
specified in annual appropriation Acts for making expenditures 
authorized by this subtitle. 
"SEC. 118. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of title 23, 
United States Code, and other Acts pertaining to Federal-Aid High-
ways, the Secretary of Transportation shall immediately approve the 
completion of the parking facility, and associated ramps (mcluding 
any necessary pedestrian access and walkways, escalators, elevators, 
moving sidewalk access, and connections) at Union Station, to be 
financed with interstate highway fimds apportioned to the District of 
Columbia. To the extent necessary to complete such prolect, such 
apportionment shall not be subject to any obligation limitation 
enacted for the fiscal year ending September 30,1982, or the fiscal 
year ending September 30,1983. The amount of such apportionment 
necessary to complete such project, not to exceed $40,000,000, shall 
remain available to the District of Columbia until esroended, without 
regard to the provisions of section 118(b) of title 23, United States 
Code. The Federal share shall be 100 per centum of the total cost of 
such project. 
"(b) Within sixty days of the enactment of this section, the 
Secretary of Transportation shall enter into an agreement with the 
District of Columbia's Department of Transportation for the Secre-
tory of Transportetion's administration of the project described in 
subsection (a) of this section. Such project agreement shall provide 
that all right, title, and interest in such parking facility shall remain 
in the United Stetes. The rate of fees charged for use of the parking 
facility may exceed the rate required for maintenance and operation 
of the facility, and shall be established in a manner that encourages 
its use by rail passengers and participants in activities in the Union 
Station complex and area. 
"SEC. 119. (a) The Secretary of Transportotion is authorized, on 
such terms and conditions as he may prescribe, to release the 
Washington Terminal Company from any or all of its obligations 
under agreements and leases entered into under subtitle A of this 
title, including, without limitetion, the obligation to construct a new 
railroad passenger stetion as provided in section 102(aX4) of this title. 
"(b) The Secretary of Transportotion shall waive such stotutory or 
contractual restrictions on the use of the parking structure and 
associated ramps described in section 118 of this subtitle as would 
otherwise be required or imposed because funds for such construction 
were or are provided under the Urban Mass Transportotion Act of 
1964, as amended (49 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.). 
"(c) The Secretary of Transportotion is authorized to use funds 
appropriated under section 704(aX2) of the Railroad Revitalization 
and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 (45 U.S.C. 854(aX2)) to cany out 
the purposes of this subtitle without r^ard to the matehing mnds 
requirement of section 703(1XB) of such Act (45 U.S.C. 853(1XB)). 
Funds appropriated under section 704(a) of such Act may not be used 
for design, construction, or operation of a heliport at or near Union 
Stotion. 
"(d) The Architect of the Capitol ia authorized to entor into 
agreements with the Secretary of Transportotion or his designee or 
assign to furnish steam or chilled wator or both 
firom 
the Capitol 
Power Plant to the Union Stotion complex, at no expense to the 
legislative branch.". 
SEC. 4. (a) The Act approved November 5,1966 (Public Law 89-759) 
and section 108 of the National Visitor Center Facilities Act of 1968 
(Public Law 90-264) are repealed. 
PUBLIC LAW 97-125—DEC. 29, 1981 
95 STAT. 1673 
(b) Section 102(b) of the National Visitor Center Facilities Act of 
1968 (40 U.S.C. 802(b)) is amended by striking the word "title" and 
inserting in lieu thereof the word "subtitle". 
SEC. 5. As used in section 502(aXlXB) of the Rail Passenger Service ^^mtrak 
Act, the term "Amtrak Commuter" shall mean, with respect to the 
period prior to January 1,1983, "Conrail". 
Approved December 29, 1981. 
Commuter." 
45 u s e 582 note. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY-S. 1192: 
SENATE REPORTS: No. 97-70 (Comm. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation) 
and No. 97-269 (Comm. on Environment and Public Works). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 127 (1981): 
Nov. 23, considered and passed Senate. 
Dec. 16, considered and passed House. 
WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS, Vol. 17, No. 53 (1981): 
Dec. 29, Presidential statement.