It seems we've been talking about queuing for as long as we've been in operation. When it has become an issue, we have asked passengers to please remain seated until their train has left the station stop prior to their own, but sometimes people insist on queuing in the aisles two and even three stations early. The result is crowded aisle ways that make it impossible for others to detrain and often causes riders to completely miss their stop.

Certainly, we understand that some riders like to stand, and, with the exception of standing in the vestibule, standing is allowed onboard VRE trains (crowding does occur and trains are designed to hold standing passengers). However, the conductor is the sole authority onboard the train and we rely upon them to determine how best to run the train in the safest most efficient manner. If they feel that available seating will help reduce crowding thus making it easier for them to patrol a train, or to clear the aisles for detraining passengers then they have the right to move passengers from one car to another and ask riders to find a seat. (Note: sitting on the stairs to the upper level is not allowed for safety reasons).

Our crews have always had the option to invoke our “Standing Means Detraining” policy, allowing crews to stop a train or refuse to open train doors until all those riders standing have either detrained or have found a seat.

This system was put into place on a few trains with particularly bad queuing issues with excellent results: when people stayed in their seats until their train had physically left the station one prior to the one where they detrain, the trains ran on time.

When people queued and the trains were held as a result, the passengers ultimately created their own delay, and the incentive to remain seated quickly outweighed the desire to queue.

What we really want is to allow detraining passengers an easy exit, and since you can still stand just before your stop, you'll still manage to get off your train in a timely manner. However, if the conductor asks you to find a seat, please do so.

From past experience, we know that this policy will sometimes delay a train, but for the non-queuers on the train, rest assured it will quickly resolve itself and you should never have to elbow your way past another queuer again.