Amtrak’s DC Shutdown, Oct 16 to 26: What Still Runs, With Kids
From Friday night, Oct 16 until Monday morning, Oct 26, no Amtrak trains will run through the tunnel between Washington Union Station and Virginia while Amtrak replaces worn-out switches. Seven routes are shortened, split or partly replaced by buses, including the Northeast Regional in Virginia, Carolinian, Crescent, Silver Meteor and Palmetto. Here is what still runs, how the Alexandria transfer works with kids, and how to rebook.
The short version
- No Amtrak trains run through Washington to Virginia from late Friday, Oct 16 to early Monday, Oct 26, 2026.
- Seven routes change: Northeast Regional (Virginia), Carolinian, Cardinal, Crescent, Floridian, Palmetto and Silver Meteor.
- Alexandria is the transfer point, with buses to Washington Union Station and King St-Old Town Metro about 0.2 miles away.
- The Auto Train keeps running, and VRE runs to L'Enfant instead of Union Station Oct 19 to 23.
- Richmond, Hampton Roads, Charlottesville and Lynchburg get express buses to Washington instead of trains.
- Change trips in the Amtrak app, on Amtrak.com or at 1-800-USA-RAIL.
Status (updated Wednesday, Oct 14, 7:15 a.m. PT)
The DC shutdown starts Friday night, Oct 16, and Amtrak’s advisory still lists it for Oct 16 to 26. Trains run normally through Washington until the last trains Friday. From then until before morning trains on Monday, Oct 26, no Amtrak train runs between Washington and Virginia, and seven routes are shortened, split or partly replaced by buses. Amtrak says affected customers have been contacted. To change a trip, use Amtrak.com, the Amtrak app or 1-800-USA-RAIL. Official details: Amtrak advisory and Pause for Progress.
New this week: VRE has posted its final schedule for Oct 19 to 23, with no trains to or from Union Station. Some trains end at Alexandria, where riders switch to Metro.
Latest updates
Newest first. Times are Pacific. We add to this every day of the shutdown.
- Wed, Oct 14, 7:15 a.m. Two days out, nothing has moved. Amtrak’s advisory still lists the work for Oct 16 to 26 on the same seven routes: the Amtrak Virginia Northeast Regional, Carolinian, Cardinal, Crescent, Floridian, Palmetto and Silver Meteor. If you are traveling Friday, a trip that ends before the last trains that night is not affected. Source: Amtrak advisory.
- Wed, Oct 14, 7:15 a.m. VRE’s final week-of schedule is out. VRE’s Oct 19 to 23 schedule has 10 Fredericksburg Line trains and 8 Manassas Line trains, none to or from Union Station. Most run to L’Enfant, but Fredericksburg Train 314 and Manassas Train 334 end at Alexandria, with a transfer to Metro’s Blue and Yellow lines. If you are using VRE to reach Amtrak at Alexandria or to get into DC with kids, these are the times to plan around.
- Wed, Oct 14, 7:15 a.m. Danville dates. WSLS reports Danville has no Amtrak service from Oct 17 through 25, since the Crescent does not run between Washington and Atlanta. Amtrak lists no replacement bus for Danville, so families there need another day or a drive to a station with service.
What is happening in the First Street Tunnel
Just south of Washington Union Station, every Amtrak train heading to or from Virginia runs through the First Street Tunnel, built in 1904 to 1906. Inside it is a junction of switches and crossovers called A-Interlocking, which funnels the station’s many tracks into the two tracks that continue to Virginia. Virginia Railway Express commuter trains use it too.
Amtrak and Virginia rail officials say those parts are past their service life and hold trains to 10 mph, and WJLA reports several low-speed derailments there. WTOP lists what crews are replacing: two double-slip switches, a diamond crossing, the electric switch machines, the ballast under the track and the tunnel’s drainage. Both tracks have to come out at the same time, so there is no way to run trains around the work. WYDaily puts the cost at about $8.65 million; Amtrak has not published a figure.
Instead of years of piecemeal weekend repairs, Amtrak is closing the tunnel to trains for about nine days. The work runs from after service ends Friday, Oct 16 until before morning service Monday, Oct 26. Amtrak calls it Pause for Progress.
“I know it’s nine hard days, but it’s going to be a huge benefit for decades.” DJ Stadtler, Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, to WJLA
Which Amtrak trains still run, October 16 to 26
Seven routes change. Here is what Amtrak says each one does that week. Tap a route for our full family guide, which has the same update and a short FAQ at the top.
| Route | What runs that week |
|---|---|
| Carolinian | Train New York to Washington, bus Washington Union Station to Alexandria, train Alexandria to Charlotte. |
| Cardinal | Chicago to Indianapolis only. Nothing east of Indianapolis. |
| Crescent | New York to Washington and Atlanta to New Orleans only. Nothing between Washington and Atlanta. |
| Floridian | Chicago to Pittsburgh and Jacksonville to Miami only. |
| Silver Meteor | New York to Washington and Jacksonville to Miami only. |
| Palmetto | New York to Washington only. |
| Northeast Regional (Amtrak Virginia) | Normal north of Washington. South of DC: one round trip Norfolk to Alexandria, one Roanoke to Alexandria, plus buses. |
The pattern is simple: trains keep running on the parts of each route that don’t need the tunnel, and nothing runs straight through Washington to the south. Virginia’s transportation board says long-distance trains will not operate in Virginia that week. Amtrak lists the Carolinian’s southern end as Charlotte, while that same Virginia report says Raleigh, so check your exact stop in the Amtrak app.
A train book for the trip you do takeRally Takes the Train is a five-minute, hand-painted picture book about a corgi’s first train ride, tunnel and all. Ages 0 to 8.
Buy on AmazonNortheast Regional trains and express buses in Virginia
Northeast Regional trains still run normally between Washington, New York and Boston. South of DC, Amtrak Virginia runs a much smaller schedule that week:
- One round trip between Norfolk and Alexandria. Amtrak has not published its times on the outage page, so look it up in the app.
- One round trip between Roanoke and Alexandria. Cardinal News reports it leaves Roanoke at 9:48 a.m. and gets back to Roanoke at 10:23 p.m.; the afternoon Roanoke train does not run.
- Three round-trip buses between Alexandria and Washington Union Station, timed to connect with those trains.
For everyone else, Amtrak Virginia runs express buses straight into Washington:
| Express bus route | Service that week |
|---|---|
| Roanoke and Lynchburg to Washington | 1 round trip |
| Charlottesville to Washington | 1 round trip |
| Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Newport News and Williamsburg to Washington | 2 round trips |
| Norfolk, Newport News and Williamsburg to Washington | 1 round trip |
| Richmond Staples Mill Road to Washington | 2 round trips |
| Richmond Main Street Station to Washington | 1 round trip |
Amtrak’s outage page lists the routes but not the departure times, so open your reservation or search the trip on Amtrak.com to see when your bus leaves.
Getting between Union Station and Alexandria
If your trip starts or ends at Washington Union Station, you have two ways to reach the trains at Alexandria:
- The Amtrak bus. Three round trips a day connect Union Station and Alexandria, timed to the Virginia trains, and the Carolinian has its own coordinated bus. This is the simplest choice with bags and a stroller, because the bus meets the train.
- Metro. Alexandria station is about 0.2 miles (WMATA says about 10 minutes on foot) from the King St-Old Town Metrorail station on the Yellow and Blue Lines, which run every 8 to 15 minutes and reach downtown DC in about 20 minutes. From Union Station you ride the Red Line and change downtown. Up to two children age 4 and under ride Metro free with each paying adult, which helps with a big family.
Changing trains at Alexandria with kids
Alexandria becomes the turnaround point for Virginia trains that week. A few things make the transfer easier with little ones:
- No checked bags. Alexandria stopped accepting checked baggage on April 20, 2026 because of station construction. Washington Union Station still offers it, but with a bus in the middle, plan on carry-ons only.
- What the station has. The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority lists a staffed waiting room, restrooms, a covered platform and vending machines, with hours from 6 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. There is no Wi-Fi, and the platforms use a wheelchair lift rather than an elevator.
- Expect a street closure. Amtrak lists a street closure at Alexandria station for Oct 16 to 26. It doesn’t say which street, so leave extra time for drop-off and pickup.
- Pack for two rides. A train, then a bus or Metro, means two sets of snacks, a charged tablet and a plan for the bathroom stop in between.
The Auto Train, VRE and MARC
- Auto Train: running. It travels between Lorton, Virginia and Sanford, Florida without using the tunnel. Virginia’s transportation board report says it keeps running, and it is not on Amtrak’s list of affected routes. That makes it a good backup for Florida trips if your family can drive to Lorton.
- VRE: running, but not to Union Station. VRE’s Oct 19 to 23 schedule runs Oct 19 to 23 with no trains to or from Washington Union Station. The Fredericksburg Line has 10 trains (the first, Train 300, leaves Spotsylvania at 4:52 a.m.) and the Manassas Line has 8 (the first, Train 324, leaves Broad Run at 5:21 a.m.). Morning trains end at L’Enfant, except Trains 314 and 334, which end at Alexandria with a Metro transfer; afternoon trains leave L’Enfant between 1:38 and 6:08 p.m. VRE does not run on weekends, and it says all single-ride and multi-ride tickets are accepted.
- MARC: no schedule changes. MARC trains run north of Union Station and are not cut, though MARC has warned of possible delays from train congestion.
- Piedmont and other routes. The Piedmont runs within North Carolina and is not on Amtrak’s list. Routes far from DC, like the City of New Orleans, Sunset Limited and Mardi Gras Service, are not part of this work. Danville has no Amtrak service from Oct 17 through 25, according to WSLS and WSET.
North of Washington, the Acela and Northeast Regional keep running, though the separate Portal North Bridge work in New Jersey has trimmed some New York trains through mid-November (see our Acela and Northeast Regional guides).
Refunds and rebooking
- Check your reservation now. Amtrak says it has contacted affected customers. Open your trip in the Amtrak app or on Amtrak.com to see whether it now includes a bus or a shorter train.
- Refunds. WYDaily reports penalty-free refunds are available when Amtrak initiated the change, the new options are inconvenient and the change affected your travel time or mode. Under Amtrak’s normal rules, Flex fares are fully refundable before departure, while Value and Sale fares lose part of the fare when you cancel, so ask about the disruption specifically.
- Sleeper rooms. Amtrak has not published sleeper-specific rules for this work. Its refund policy covers the whole fare, room charges included, so call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245) to rebook or cancel a room on the Silver Meteor, Crescent, Cardinal or Floridian.
- Change dates if the ride was the point. If the train itself was the treat for the kids, moving the trip to Oct 26 or later keeps the whole ride intact.
- Re-check the day before. Plans can still shift, and Amtrak’s alerts page is the place to look.
Why more Virginia rail work is coming
This tunnel job is one piece of a bigger push to add trains between Washington and Virginia. The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority is building a new two-track bridge over the Potomac next to the existing Long Bridge, which will give the corridor four tracks from Arlington to L’Enfant Plaza. Stadtler told WJLA the $2.66 billion Long Bridge program is on schedule to finish in 2030. Until then, expect more short outages and weekend schedule changes on Virginia trains, and check before every trip.
A tunnel, a scared corgi, and the light at the end
There is a tunnel in our book too. In Rally Takes the Train, the train slips into the dark and Rally is scared, until he sees a big bright light and the tunnel opens onto the sea. It’s a nice page to read before a trip that has a bumpy part in the middle, because it ends where every family wants a trip to end: with the people waiting at the station.
Kelsey wrote the book from her mom Deb’s idea, and you can read the story behind it. If the trip has to wait a week, our free coloring pages make a good stand-in for a rainy day at home.
Read the tunnel page before you rideRally Takes the Train, hand-painted in watercolor by Leslie Dunn. $13.99 on Amazon, about five minutes to read aloud.
Buy on AmazonSources
- Amtrak advisory: Service Adjustments South of Washington, DC (Oct 16 to 26, 2026)
- Amtrak: Washington, DC Train Status, Pause for Progress
- Amtrak: Alexandria station checked baggage update
- Amtrak: Alexandria, VA (ALX) station page
- WJLA: Why is Amtrak shutting down for 9 days between DC and Virginia? (Aug 25, 2026)
- WTOP: Rail junction south of Union Station to shut down for 9 days in October (Aug 2026)
- WYDaily: Virginia Amtrak passengers face nine-day service disruption in October (Sept 7, 2026)
- Cardinal News: Amtrak infrastructure work will temporarily reduce train service in Virginia (Sept 5, 2026)
- Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board: Director's Report (Sept 2026)
- VRE: Train status and service notices
- Virginia Passenger Rail Authority: Alexandria station
- Virginia Passenger Rail Authority: Long Bridge Project
- WMATA: Getting to airports and train stations
- WHRO / Virginia Mercury: Amtrak to suspend Virginia to D.C. service Oct 16 to 26 (Sept 8, 2026)
- WSET: Amtrak to suspend service in Danville for 9 days (Sept 9, 2026)
- FOX 5 DC: Amtrak to shut down section of DC-area track for 9-day upgrade (Aug 24, 2026)
- Progressive Railroading: Amtrak to complete First Street Tunnel upgrades in October (Aug 25, 2026)
The DC shutdown: questions families ask
When is the Amtrak shutdown south of Washington, DC?
Amtrak's Pause for Progress work runs from after service ends Friday, Oct 16, 2026, to before morning service Monday, Oct 26, 2026. During that time no Amtrak trains run through the First Street Tunnel between Washington Union Station and Virginia. Trains run normally through Washington until Friday night.
Is the Amtrak DC shutdown still happening this week?
Yes. As of Wednesday, Oct 14, 2026, Amtrak's advisory still lists the work for Oct 16 to 26 on seven routes south of Washington. Trains run normally through Washington until the last trains on Friday night, Oct 16, and service is planned to return before morning trains on Monday, Oct 26.
Which VRE trains end at Alexandria during the October 2026 shutdown?
On VRE's Oct 19 to 23, 2026 schedule, Fredericksburg Line Train 314 and Manassas Line Train 334 end at Alexandria, where riders transfer to Metro's Blue and Yellow lines. The other morning trains continue to Crystal City and L'Enfant. No VRE train goes to Union Station that week.
What time is the first VRE train during the Amtrak shutdown?
On VRE's Oct 19 to 23, 2026 schedule, the first Fredericksburg Line train, Train 300, leaves Spotsylvania at 4:52 a.m., and the first Manassas Line train, Train 324, leaves Broad Run at 5:21 a.m. The last afternoon trains leave L'Enfant at 6:08 p.m.
Which Amtrak trains are affected by the DC shutdown?
Amtrak lists seven routes: the Amtrak Virginia Northeast Regional, Carolinian, Cardinal, Crescent, Floridian, Palmetto and Silver Meteor. Each one is shortened, split or partly replaced by buses from Oct 16 to 26, 2026. North of Washington, Northeast Regional and Acela trains keep running.
Is Amtrak running from Washington to Richmond during the shutdown?
Not by train. From Oct 16 to 26, 2026, Richmond is served by Amtrak Virginia express buses: two round trips between Richmond Staples Mill Road and Washington and one between Richmond Main Street Station and Washington. Check bus times in your reservation or on Amtrak.com.
Is the Northeast Regional running to Norfolk or Roanoke during the DC shutdown?
Only as far as Alexandria. Amtrak Virginia runs one round trip between Norfolk and Alexandria and one between Roanoke and Alexandria, with three connecting buses between Alexandria and Washington Union Station. Cardinal News reports the Roanoke train leaves at 9:48 a.m. and returns to Roanoke at 10:23 p.m.
How do I get from Union Station to Alexandria during the shutdown?
Amtrak runs three round-trip buses between Union Station and Alexandria, timed to meet the Virginia trains, and the Carolinian has its own coordinated bus. You can also take Metro: ride the Red Line from Union Station, change downtown to the Yellow or Blue Line to King St-Old Town, then walk about 0.2 miles to the Amtrak station. Up to two children 4 and under ride Metro free with each paying adult.
Is the Auto Train affected by the Washington, DC track work?
No. The Auto Train runs between Lorton, Virginia and Sanford, Florida without using the First Street Tunnel. Virginia's transportation board says it keeps running, and Amtrak does not list it among the affected routes.
Is VRE running during the Amtrak DC shutdown?
Yes, but not to Union Station. VRE's final schedule for Oct 19 to 23, 2026 has 10 Fredericksburg Line trains and 8 Manassas Line trains, with morning trains ending at L'Enfant (two end at Alexandria with a Metro transfer) and afternoon trains leaving from L'Enfant. VRE does not run on weekends, so it is not affected Oct 16 to 18 or Oct 24 to 25.
Is MARC affected by the Amtrak shutdown south of Union Station?
MARC has no schedule changes, because its trains run north of Union Station. MARC has warned of possible delays from train congestion during the work.
Can I check bags at Alexandria during the DC shutdown?
No. Alexandria stopped accepting checked baggage on April 20, 2026 because of station construction, and Amtrak says Washington Union Station still offers it. With a bus or Metro leg in the middle, plan on carry-ons only.
Why is Amtrak closing the First Street Tunnel?
Amtrak is replacing A-Interlocking, the switches and crossovers inside the tunnel, which are past their service life and hold trains to 10 mph. WTOP reports crews are replacing two double-slip switches, a diamond crossing, switch machines, ballast and drainage. Both tracks must come out at once, so no trains can pass during the work.
Can I get a refund for my Amtrak trip because of the DC work?
Amtrak says it has contacted affected customers about their options. WYDaily reports penalty-free refunds are available when Amtrak initiated the change, the new options are inconvenient and the change affected your travel time or mode. Manage the trip in the Amtrak app, on Amtrak.com or at 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).
Is Danville losing Amtrak service during the DC shutdown?
Yes. WSLS reports Danville has no Amtrak service from Oct 17 through 25, 2026, because the Crescent does not run between Washington and Atlanta during the work. Amtrak lists no replacement bus for Danville, and normal service is planned to return Oct 26.
Are the Silver Meteor, Crescent, Palmetto and Floridian running?
Only in pieces. The Silver Meteor runs New York to Washington and Jacksonville to Miami, the Crescent runs New York to Washington and Atlanta to New Orleans, the Palmetto runs New York to Washington only, and the Floridian runs Chicago to Pittsburgh and Jacksonville to Miami. None runs through Virginia or the Carolinas that week.