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December

Thanks for another great round of questions.  If we did not answer your question or you need more detail, please forward the question to Gotrains@vre.org and put “Online Forum” in the subject line.  We’ll get you a response.

Just a reminder:

Next Wednesday December 11th, we will be conducting our annual Toys for Tots collection onboard all morning trains.  New, unwrapped toys may be left on your seat for collection by the crews.  The conductors will also be collecting donations by cash or check.  Checks should be made payable to Toys for Tots.  Thank you in advance for your continued support and generosity of this event.  Our passengers have traditionally been part of the largest collections in the region in support of this event.

On Saturday December 14th, we will operate our Annual Santa Trains in support of Operation Lifesaver, promoting safety around railroad tracks and crossings.  We will have Marines on hand at Spotsylvania, Fredericksburg, Woodbridge, Manassas, and Burk Centre stations to continue the collection efforts for Toys for Tots. 

We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday season and we will see you out on the trains and back here on January 8th. (The Forum is being moved to January 8th since the 1st is a holiday).

Rich. Chris…et al.

  • James from Burke,Va asks
    Hey VRE was wondering if in the new future? If the Rolling road station is really having the platform extended in the near future? It has been in the making for over two years now, and where are you all, still the Same story, really?

    VRE Response
    Thanks for the question James. We are still pushing forward with extending the platform at Rolling Road station. We had a few extra hurdles, but we are preparing to solicit for construction in January of 2020. 

  • Michael from Annandale asks
    Any chance someone could update the project status section of your website? Many of the listed projects haven't had an update for over a year.

    VRE Response
    Yes, we are changing the process to update this section of the website to ensure timely updates occur. You should see this improvement soon.

  • Dave from Woodbridge, Va asks
    These Amazon jobs are coming in the near future. What all does VRE plan to do in order to handle the additional passengers? Extra cars? Extra trains?

    VRE Response
    Our current plans are consistent with our overall system growth strategy established before the Amazon HQ2 announcement: we are purchasing additional railcars to lengthen trains, we are lengthening existing platforms and in some cases adding a second platform....specific to Crystal City, we are moving the station to accommodate longer platforms and a second platform. Additional trains will come once we can build out more rail capacity, such as the Long Bridge.

  • Jeffrey from Bristow VA asks
    I am having problems validating my tickets. I have used VRE for 15 years without validation problems, but now it seems to happen every week. Are the new TVMs creating this issue?

    VRE Response
    Sorry for the issues Jeffrey.  Only a few TVMs have been upgraded so far. The issue is more likely the old equipment, which will be replaced.  Of course, you can avoid the validation issues by switching to VRE Mobile.  If you need assistance in transition to VRE Mobile, just give Brenda or Jen a call at 703-684-1001 and we'll walk you through the process, especially if you receive transit benefits.

  • Michele from Gainesville asks
    I receive two paper 10-ride tickets in the mail monthly from Commuter Direct. Three times in the past month or so, they sometimes don't work in the vending machines (Broad Run and Union Station). All three conductors have told me this is a problem others are experiencing, too. Can you please elaborate and what is our remedy? Thank you.

    VRE Response
    Thanks for the question Michele. We did have an issue where an entire roll of tickets at CommuterDirect had the magnetic strip on the back demagnetized.  This created an issue where many tickets were issued which would not validate.  If you find yourself with a ticket which will not validate, please see the conductor prior to boarding and let them know.  They will then either replace the ticket with Free Ride Certificates (FRCs) or come up with another alternative to allow you to ride until you can swap out the ticket(s). If you have multiple tickets which will not validate, please contact our office and we will arrange to get you replacements.

  • Davin from Woodbridge, VA asks
    Why do you change the conductors on Train #306 frequently?

    VRE Response
    Train crews can bid new jobs every month based on seniority. So, at the first of the month you may notice train crews changing assignments.

  • Davin from Woodbridge, VA asks
    Where is the new mobile ticket app? I thought it was supposed to come out in November. It was featured in the October Ride VRE magazine saying coming in the fall and it's close to winter now.

    VRE Response
    Thanks for the question Davin.  We just finished a call with Moovel and we should receive a version of the new app to test today.  If all goes well, we should be able to launch it in the next couple of weeks.

  • Tommy from Fredericksburg asks
    Over the last several months, the conductors run up to the engineer cab (for lack of a better phrase) between most stops and then hussle to the doors for opening moving folks out of the way to do so. I'm not sure what is going on up there but it is loud, can be heard downstairs (yes I know it's not the quite car) but what is heard is quite unprofessional. With both conductors with the engineer, what do we do when a conductor is needed?

    VRE Response
    Sorry Tommy, not quite enough information to go on.  There are valid reasons for a conductor to go up to the Cab Control Car during a trip, but without knowing the specific day/train it will be tough to get you a specific answer.

    There are always multiple conductors aboard the train, so if there is an urgent need for a conductor, the passenger can press the Assistance Needed button located near the vestibule entrance.

  • Vanessa' from Fredericksburg, VA asks
    Can you put additional machines on the Fredericksburg platform? There is usually 1 or 2 that are not working. It would be nice if there was one near the top of the stairs and ramp.

    VRE Response
    We do not plan to add TVMs at Fredericksburg. However, once all TVMs are upgraded you should see a big improvement in reliability.

  • Nick from Stafford asks
    Can the speakers in the quiet car on train 314 be turned down please? They are so loud it creates a vibrating/buzzing sound.

    VRE Response
    The audio level in the individual cars is pre-set to specific decibel levels.  We will check the level and make sure it is set properly.

  • Marc from Brooke asks
    When are we going to start seeing the new TVM's?

    VRE Response
    The TVMs are being upgraded currently, station by station.  Union Station is complete, L'Enfant is underway.  We'll continue upgrading a couple a day until the entire 69 are upgraded.

  • Brian from Burke, VA asks
    Why is there always such a huge inaccuracy when reporting delays? Train 326 was reported as 5-10 mins late at 6:32am today, despite the fact that it had not even reached Manassas (meaning it was already over 10 minutes late). The train ended up over 30 minutes late, and thanks to the horrible notifications many people waited at the stations rather than metro. How are delays calculated?

    VRE Response
    Great question Brian.  We do not generally know in advance of an impending delay, nor do we immediately know how long an encountered delay will last.  Since we try to report the delay as quickly as possible, we are very conservative in the initial duration estimates.  If we over-estimate delay times, passengers may arrive at a station after the train has already departed.  This morning for example; 326 was stopped temporarily by Norfolk Southern and Keolis staff performing mandated operational testing.  This generally only delays a train by a few minutes, and the time can usually be made up over the remainder of the trip.  Unfortunately, 326 encountered other non-related issues when it resumed its trip which could not have been predicted.

  • Dave and Sara from Woodbridge VA asks
    It had been a while since we rode the VRE so we took rides to and from work yesterday. It is so great to have the conductors remember you and ask how you've been. The customer service on 302 and 307 is just absolutely beyond fantastic. Even though we drive to work quite often, the conductors and the positive, friendly, and safe atmosphere on the trains we ride always brings us back. The Teams on those trains really do make a difference THANK YOU!!!

    VRE Response
    Thank you Dave and Sara. Welcome back!  We will share your comments with the train crews and the Keolis management team.

  • Ron from Fredericksburg, Virginia asks
    When will the parking lot entrance at Leeland Road be paved?

    VRE Response
    The gravel lot at Leeland Road is actually owned by the property developer and leased by Stafford County for use as a supplemental commuter parking.  There are no current plans to pave the lot, but our facilities crew can try to address any specific concerns.  If you are noticing potholes or something specific we can address, we'll be happy to either take care of it ourselves or forward to the appropriate parties.  Just let us know at Gotrains@vre.org.

  • Chris from Leeland Road asks
    Is it a new VRE policy to issue FRC's that only cover certain zones? I requested 2 FRCs for recent travel disruptions and was given mobile account FRCs that only cover half of my ride!!

    VRE Response
    Sorry for the confusion Chris.  When we offer to provide a Free Ride Certificate (FRC) on VRE Mobile instead of the paper system, we can provide the zone combination specific to your travel needs.  The paper tickets are pre-encoded to cover all zones 9-1.  If you ride from Leeland Road, your single ride mobile pass should have been zone 8 to wherever your normal destination is.  If you received something different, we apologize.  Drop us a note at GoTrains@vre.org with your mobile number and we'll get you a ticket for the correct zones.

  • Connie from Dumfries asks
    The tracking monitors located at all stations show the date and track the VRE train... is it possible to add the "time" to it? Surprised if the date is posted the time (clock) should be too. Just a thought.

    VRE Response
    Thanks Connie.  We do have a new concept being tested later this week on our platform monitors which will include more information.  If the proof of concept is successful at the Fredericksburg and Alexandria stations, we'll get a project initiated to roll the solution out to all stations.  Once we have a version up and running, we'll send something out in a Train Talk and in RIDE magazine for everyone to see.

  • Angela from Woodbridge, VA asks
    Prior to the Metro shutdown, the northbound trains would leave Alexandria when the station work was done. During the Metro shutdown the trains did not depart Alexandria until the scheduled departure, sometimes 5 minutes or more just sitting. Now that the metro is open, will VRE return to the policy of departing when the station work is done?

    VRE Response
    Great question Angela.  We removed the "L" designation from the Alexandria station due to the number of passenger trips originating there.  Since the connecting bus services have their schedules aligned with our scheduled departure times, it became increasingly important for our trains to not depart early.

    VRE staff monitors the train arrivals and departures at Alexandria. If there is another train which will be arriving at or about the same time, we will ask CSX to allow the other train to depart early so we can keep all trains moving.

  • David from Fred Line asks
    Please consider having the 300 Express depart 10-15 earlier each morning. Please work with CSX.

    VRE Response
    Sorry David, we have no immediate plans to change the schedule for train 300.

  • Jim from Fairfax asks
    In a perfect world where track access and mid-day storage aren't issues, what line/time has the greatest need for more capacity? Or more simply, where would VRE like to add service? As a follow-up, when do you expect the new cars and which trains will they be used on? Thanks!

    VRE Response
    The line/time having the greatest need are both the Fredericksburg and Manassas lines, predominately in the peak-of-the-peak period. We are currently working through a procurement process to acquire new cars. We would anticipate delivery in 2-3 years, but will know for sure once we complete the process. We plan to extend most of the current train consist to 8 cars, but there might be some trains that are longer.

Welcome everyone!

Today's online forum panel consists of  Keolis, Transportation Manager Goodson, Paul from Keolis, Brian Barton from CSX and Kim Combs VRE's liaison at Union Station. Now on to the questions.