WASHINGTON — Entrances at Union Station have been temporarily closed, due to protest activity.
Amtrak tweeted Wednesday that all entrances to Union Station, except for the entrance on the west side located on First Street, were closed. In order to gain entrance passengers will be required to show their paper or mobile train tickets to gain access to the station Wednesday. WMATA also issued a service delay on its website.
Buses that typically run to and from the station will not be stopping at the Union Station Wednesday. On its website, WMATA attributed "First Amendment activities" as the reason why they've temporarily taken Union Station off of the bus routes.
The protests are in response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to D.C. this week and the ongoing war in Israel. In a fiery speech to Congress, Prime Minister Netanyahu defended the war in Gaza and condemned American protestors. Netanyahu vowed to press on with the war until "total victory," disappointing hopes by some that the Israeli leader's visit to the United States could bring some breakthrough in negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage-release. This has now drawn large crowds to the Capitol.
“America and Israel must stand together. When we stand together something really simple happens: We win, they lose," said Netanyahu, who wore a yellow pin expressing solidarity with the Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
It is unclear when the closure will be lifted at this time.