 During that time , upkeep of Union Station became neglected by the railroads , and the station gradually deteriorated from its heyday . The presence of dirt , trash , and human waste were a normal occurrence at the station . At one point , in 1973 , the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry ordered Penn Central to close Union Station citing " sanitary reasons " ; at the time , it was only used by the crews of its freight trains . In the winter , the station often became an " unsanctioned shelter " for the homeless , who burned the station 's wooden doors for heat . The few passengers that did travel by train were often reluctant to use Amtrak 's makeshift waiting room in the station rotunda , due to the unsettling sights and fear of being accosted . Penn Central persisted with freight service until it declared bankruptcy and became a part of Conrail on April 1 , 1976 . Conrail , in turn , was dismantled on June 6 , 1998 , and the former New York Central rail lines were transferred to CSX , and Norfolk Southern Railway gained control of the former Pennsylvania lines . 
