October

• Richard from Burke asks
  What are the details with Clifton Day this year?

  VRE Response
  Clifton Day will not take place this year.

   

• Donder from North Pole asks
  When do Santa Train tickets go on sale?

  VRE Response
  We will not be operating the traditional Santa Trains this year, but we still want to do something to support Toys for Tots, so stay tuned for details.

   

   

• Greg from Bristow, VA asks
  20 minutes in and only 2 questions answered? Must be new management.

  VRE Response
  Sorry Greg, not much in the queue.

   

• Dale from Fairfax Station asks
  When will we see the customer service survey results?

  VRE Response
  Dale, we did not do the annual customer service survey in May, nor are we doing the annual survey usually completed the first Wednesday in October (today).

   

   

• John Boy from Manassas asks
  Wifi on the trains?

  VRE Response
  Sorry John Boy, still no immediate plans to add WiFi.

• Davin from Woodbridge, VA asks
  I've noticed every afternoon around 12:55 PM a southbound CSX train passes by and has caused Train #301 to be delayed because VRE is going so slow. Can't CSX delay it's train, so the VRE can stay on time

  VRE Response
  Sorry Davin, just part of the challenges with the overall network which is why we are working with all stakeholders on the Transforming Rail in Virginia group of projects.

   

• Davin from Woodbridge, VA asks
  With the CARES Act funding ending at the end of the year, how will that affect VRE's finances?

  VRE Response
  We have no immediate concerns related to funding Davin.

   

• Davin from Woodbridge, VA asks
  Why do trains have to dwell at Franconia/Springfield instead of leaving right away after everyone has boarded? There is no one on the platform to wait for

  VRE Response
  There are passengers who ride from Franconia/Springfield north and south, so we cannot depart prior to the scheduled time.

• Renee from Fredericksburg VA asks
  In the future, will there be any enforcement of the mask policy for the riders. I hear the message over the speaker system; however, many riders take their masks off or pull their masks below their chin.

  VRE Response
  We have added the automated messages and will continue to remind all riders of the face covering requirement both on the platforms and for the duration of the ride onboard.

   

• Dave from Woodbridge asks
  How much has ridership increased over the past 2-3 months? Compared to pre-pandemic what % of riders are back on the train? When will more cars be added to the trains and when do you all plan to come off of the "S" schedule?

  VRE Response
  Ridership continues to slowly increase.  We are now averaging around 1500 rides per day, down from the pre-COVID level of about 18,000.  You can see ridership by train at https://www.vre.org/service/rider/train-utilization-trends/ 

   

• Connie from Dumfries, VA asks
  Since Amtrak suspended the use of Step-Up tickets/program - Will the Step-Up tickets that could not be used during the suspended months be authorized to use when the suspension is lifted? I hope we are not totally out of the money we spent on Step-Up tickets. How is Amtrak going to handle this? Thank you

  VRE Response
  Thanks for the question Connie.  Since the Amtrak Step-Up tickets do not expire until one year from the purchase date, just hang on to them.  If you have tickets that expire this month, give us a call at 703-684-1001 and we'll try to address those specific tickets.

   

   

• Sam from Manassas Park, Va asks
  What can be about enforcing mask wearing? Every day I see riders on the upper deck with their masks off. The masks are put on when the conductor comes thru to check tickets & then they're off again. It's very irritating- some of us have at risk family & don't have the option of teleworking. Thanks.

  VRE Response
  Thanks Sam. We have added automatic announcements and have asked the conductors to address this as they see it. We also include messaging at the platforms and through our normal communication channels, Train Talk and social media.  If you see something specific you would like the conductor to address, just let them know.

   

   

• nancy from woodbridge, va asks
  we are moving to a home near the woodbridge vre station. if we need to take the train into dc, outside of commuting hours, i assume we will need to take the amtrak. is there a fixed price for amtrak from woodbridge to l'enfant or does it depend on the date/time? i'm sure we will be having visitors who will want to see the sights in dc and we'd like to determine what our best option will be for getting into town. thanks in advance!

  VRE Response
  Welcome to the area Nancy.  Outside of commuting hours, Amtrak will be the best option for rail travel.  You can check their schedules and prices at Amtrak.com or give them a call at 1-800-USA-RAIL.  The schedules and pricing vary by day of the week.  We hope to see you on our trains once in awhile too.

   

• Ravinder from Bristow va asks
  Thank you for the continued excellent service. The entire VRE staff is amazing.

  VRE Response
  Thanks for the nice words Ravinder.  We appreciate you and all the other riders who have continued to utilize our service for your commute. This is a great way to kick off the forum.

   

   

Welcome to the October version of VRE’s Online Forum.  Joining us in the virtual studio today are Gerald and Phil from Keolis, Brian from CSX, and Kim from Amtrak as well as an assortment of VRE staff from across the organization.

We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy, and if you are not currently riding VRE, we hope to see you back soon.

Let’s get on with the questions.