BeyondDC attended last evening’s kick-off meeting for the Union Station Intermodal Transportation Center Feasibility Study. We attended primarily to get an answer to the question of whether this is something the city wants, or whether it’s a developer’s scheme to make their own property worth more.

It’s been widely reported that Akridge intends to build a second concourse for rail passengers as part of its air rights development over the station tracks. That worries us, because if a new concourse is too far removed from the existing concourse it could pull rail passengers away from the historic depot, which in BeyondDC’s humble and totally unbiased opinion is the most fabulous big train station on this continent. We don’t want a new station two blocks north of Union; we just want Union to be the best it can be.

Our fears were assuaged first when Congresswoman Norton spoke about the decade of effort she has put into getting this plan started, and second when we put our question about the concourse to Ddot planners directly, who informed us in no uncertain terms that the intention here is to build a single “seamless” station, not two stations two blocks apart.

Phew.

Other good news: Assuming all goes well, the Greyhound terminal will be moved to the Union Station bus deck, and though Union Station isn’t one of the initial SmartBike terminals, it will be added soon enough.

Greater Greater Washington has more on the meeting.

Update:GGW also has a post up showing the plan for the renovated Columbus Circle.