The Federal Railroad Administration has revised the redevelopment plans for Washington Union Station to provide less emphasis on automobile traffic.
The agency acted after receiving widespread criticism that the plan was too automobile-centric.
The revised design eliminates a planned six-story 1,575-space parking garage that local officials had said would lead to more traffic gridlock.
Also opposed to the garage was the Washington Union Station Redevelopment Corporation, which operates the station.
Critics said most users of Union Station do not arrive by private automobile at the station, which is Amtrak’s second busiest. The depot also serves MARC and Virginia Railway Express commuter trains and is a stop for the Washington Metro public transit trains.
The FRA’s latest plan for the station, which opened in 1907 and was rehabilitated in the 1980s, calls for an underground parking garage with half the capacity of the now scrapped above-ground parking facility.
The new plan will also provide space for passenger drop-offs and pickups by taxis and private ride-hailing services.
FRA officials said they will be seeking additional public comment on the station redevelopment plan in the coming weeks.
The $10 billion project will include a new train hall and concourses, more tracks, and enlarged retail space. It is expected to take 10 years to complete.