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Commuter Connections

Just as VRE continues to operate (albeit at a reduced schedule), the Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) program and all other Commuter Connections services have remained available. During the pandemic, essential workers in the Washington metropolitan region received support from Commuter Connections to enable them to commute with confidence to and from the workplace.

Commuter Connections is a network of transportation organizations in the region that has assisted commuters for over forty-five years. Whether it’s transit, carpools, bicycling, walking, or teleworking, Commuter Connections encourages and facilitates the use of commuting methods antithetical to the single occupant vehicle (SOV). 

The free Guaranteed Ride Home program provides up to four rides home each year, due to illness, unexpected emergencies, and unscheduled overtime. To become eligible, commuters must use VRE (or other SOV alternatives) to and from work at least twice a week.

Many Northern Virginia residents who ordinarily commute on the VRE are temporarily teleworking during the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the nature of certain types of jobs however, some area workers simply do not have that option. These essential and other workers are supported by the services of VRE coupled with the GRH program, which provides a safety net for their commute.

To assist workers during the pandemic, Commuter Connections launched its Commute with Confidence webpage and guide, full of COVID-19 safety guidelines for transitioning back to the workplace. It also includes tips on how to use the region’s public transportation system, in a safe and healthy manner.

VRE has taken protective steps for commuting during the pandemic. For example, VRE passenger cars are sanitized multiple times daily, especially commonly touched surfaces such as seats, handholds, etc. While you are riding VRE to and from work, you can also use the Commuter Connections incenTrip program and earn points that can be redeemed for cash.

To access the free services of Commuter Connections such as Guaranteed Ride Home and incenTrip as well as other commuting options, visit www.commuterconnections.org and set up a free account. For questions and further assistance, call 800 745-7433.

Free Ride Certificates (aka: FRCs)

If a VRE train enters a station 30 minutes or more behind schedule, passengers detraining from that point forward are entitled to receive one "Free Ride Certificate" good for a FREE one-way trip on VRE.

Tags: delays, free-ride-certificates
Train Delays
Train Delays

There are many reasons for delays and below, we try to highlight some of the major ones:

Tags: delays, flood-related-delays, heat-related-delays, track-work
History of the Railroader's Timepiece

Keeping time on the railroad began as an imperfect science. Timepieces of the very early 1800's were notorious for losing as much as ten minutes a day.

Tags: railroad-history
Bell Versus Horn

Two very symbolic and perhaps widely known components of the locomotive are the bell and the horn. Both are vital safety features, however, the bell's use predates the locomotive to the days of horse-drawn street cars and carriages.

Tags: horn, railroad-history, safety
History of Railroad Signaling

Since its birth, the railroad has employed a variety of signaling methods to communicate with locomotive crews as to what course of action they must take, mile by mile, in order to safeguard themselves from possible collision.

Tags: railroad-history, safety, signals