9-day Amtrak service outage south of Union Station planned for October
NBC4 Washington
Last updated: August 25, 2026
Amtrak is planning a nine-day service outage south of Union Station in mid-October. This outage is necessary for the replacement of a critical piece of rail infrastructure known as "interlocking." The work is scheduled to take place from October 16th to October 26th.
- The planned nine-day outage will significantly impact Amtrak services south of Union Station in Washington D.C. This disruption is due to essential maintenance requiring the replacement of an interlocking system.
- The affected routes include travel to and from Alexandria, and further south to destinations like Richmond and Roanoke.
- Passengers traveling on these routes during the outage period may experience service changes.
- Amtrak has indicated that some riders might need to utilize bus transportation as an alternative to trains for reaching their destinations.
- The replacement of the interlocking system is a crucial infrastructure upgrade aimed at maintaining the safety and efficiency of the rail lines.
- This specific section of rail is vital for guiding trains onto various tracks, making its maintenance a priority for Amtrak operations.
