Silver Spring
| Northeast Regional | New Carrollton, MD  |
| Vermonter | |
| Acela Express | BWI Airport, MD |
Washington DC-Union Station Upper Level Platforms are used by trains terminating at the station from the north. These are for Tracks 7 through 20. These all contain platforms that are stub-ended with passengers entering the platforms from beyond the bumper blocks at the ends of them. Tracks 7 through about 13 are largely extremely dark with the station's parking garage built directly over them. These platforms are the main ones used by MARC trains. Tracks 14 and 15 are partially covered by the parking garage, with large concrete columns over the southern end of Track 15's platform closest to the station (holding up the escalators from the station into the parking garage) but the northern end of the platform is exposed to the elements. Track 16 contains an inspection pit (with platforms along both sides, don't fall in). Tracks 17 through 21 are more exposed to the elements and airy with historic iron (with Classical Columns) holding up the island platforms long canopy structures, high-level platforms tastefully installed for most of the platforms under the original canopy structure. Many of the terminating tracks contain platforms on both sides, with one normally used by passengers high-level and a separate low-level platform for station staff.
Trains stopping on the upper level include all terminating Amtrak trains from the Northeast Corridor (MARC Penn Line), along with the MARC Brunswick and Camden Line train Some of these platforms are the only ones at Washington Union Station to be high-level. Except for Acela Express trains that require high-level platforms, all other trains going to the Upper Level could also run to and from the Lower Level through platforms and tracks. This makes these platforms the normal stopping location for Acela Express Trains, terminating and originating Northeast Regional trains, the Vermonter and MARC trains. The Capitol Limited (before it was “temporarily” combined with the Floridian) also could stop at the remaining low-level platform on the Upper Level for Track 15. I once got off on track 15 and had a lovely for a railfan quite long walk into the station past the locomotives and under the parking garage.
Photos 1-11: May 30, 2011; 12-25: October 10, 2015; 26-30: August 23, 2024; 31-33: September 30, 2024; 34-36: October 1, 2024; 37-43: January 17, 2025; 44-46: May 8, 2025;
