来源：《华盛顿邮报》
原文刊登日期：2021年6月27日
文章结构
联邦政府不保证为改造华盛顿特区的联合车站拨款。
改造联合车站带来的好处。
不改造联合车站造成的问题。
所有前期准备已就绪，只差联邦政府承诺拨款。
希望总统拜登为该项目拨款。
Finishing touches are being put on plans to modernize Union Station and remake it into a world-class transit hub. The project has been more than a decade in the making and is seen as a singular economic and transportation opportunity for D.C. region. But backers of the project, including business leaders, are worried that the federal government may not commit the needed funds. That could undermine what many see as a once-in-a-generation chance to improve this critical travel center and reap its economic benefits.
对联合车站进行现代化改造，将其改造成世界级的交通枢纽的计划正在进行收尾工作。该项目已经酝酿了十多年，被视为华盛顿地区重大的经济和交通机遇。但包括商界领袖在内的该项目的支持者担心，联邦政府可能不会承诺提供所需的资金。这个项目能够改善华盛顿这个至关重要的交通中心，并获得其产生的经济利益，联邦政府不拨款可能会破坏这个被许多人视为千载难逢的机会。
More than 100 representatives of businesses and nonprofits from the Washington region, including the Federal City Council and the Greater Washington Board of Trade, recently wrote to President Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg urging inclusion of Union Station in the administration’s infrastructure plans. The project — a $10.7 billion private and public investment — envisions a transformation of the station by 2035 with a new train hall and spacious platforms. The expansion would double the capacity for Amtrak and commuter rail service while improving the customer experience for all travelers with easy access to Metro, buses, taxis, streetcars and parking.
来自华盛顿地区的100多名企业和非营利组织代表，包括联邦城市委员会和大华盛顿贸易委员会，最近致信拜登总统和交通部长皮特·布蒂吉格，敦促将联合车站纳入政府的基础设施计划。该项目由私人和公共部门共同投资107亿美元，将在2035年前对火车站进行改造，建成新的候车大厅和宽敞的站台。此次扩张将使美铁和通勤铁路服务的容量增加一倍，同时改善所有旅客的客户体验，方便他们乘坐地铁、公共汽车、出租车、有轨电车和停车。
It’s ironic that officials must beg for federal investment in the only federally owned train station in the country. Yet the station has not been upgraded since the 1990s. Now, deferred maintenance endangers security, access and safety. “Without a serious upgrade,” the local business leaders wrote, “it will struggle to handle riders — and deliver national, regional, and local economic benefits.”
具有讽刺意味的是，首都地区的官员们必须央求联邦政府对美国唯一一个联邦所有的火车站进行投资。然而，自上世纪90年代以来，这座车站就没有进行过升级。现在，延迟维护危及使用和安全。“如果没有重大的升级，”当地商业领袖写道，“它将难以应付乘客——并产生国家和区域的经济效益。”
The Federal Railroad Administration, in partnership with Amtrak and the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation, is nearing the end of a six-year environmental review process and is set this year to unveil final plans. Local officials criticized a draft released in 2019 under the Trump administration for favoring automobiles over the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and other non-car travelers. But those concerns have been largely resolved, and now the push is to secure a commitment of federal funding.
联邦铁路管理局与美国铁路客运公司和联合车站再开发公司合作，正在接近为期六年的环境审查进程的尾声，并定于今年公布最终计划。当地官员批评了特朗普政府2019年发布的一份草案，该草案偏袒汽车，忽视了行人、骑自行车者和其他非汽车出行者的需求。但这些担忧已经在很大程度上得到了解决，现在要努力的是确保联邦资金的承诺。
Mr. Biden long ago became a proponent of train travel. We hope that means he understands why this project is so important and why funding for it must not be delayed.
拜登很久以前就成了火车出行的支持者。我们希望这意味着他理解为什么这个项目如此重要，为什么不能推迟为它提供资金。