January

• Bob from Wilderness asks
  If the government shuts down are you going to reduce the schedule?

  VRE Response
  We have no plans to reduce the schedule.

   

• Steven from Annandale asks
  Are y'all still making a new yard where the old HoJo used to be?

  VRE Response
  VRE continues to work with Amtrak and other stakeholders on a mid-day storage yard.

   

• John from Dumfries asks
  Any plans to improve on-time percentage in 2024? What is an acceptable on-time percentage?

  VRE Response
  Thanks for the question John.  We have a system-wide target OTP of 90%+, and while we have seen improvements the past few months, we are not quite there.  We continue to work with our host railroads, including Amtrak, to help minimize any issues affecting OTP.  We have seen fewer delays coming in and out of Union Station, and are proposing other operational changes to help reduce some of the delays we are seeing on the railroad.

   

• from Fredericksburg Virginia asks
  When Fredericksburg train 309 arrives at the Woodbridge station in the evening, a conductor has to escort passengers from the quiet car to the other end of the train so they can get the off and you still have last minute individuals running to get off because they aren't paying attention to their stop. What can be done to make the deboarding process at Woodbridge station quicker and efficient because this happens every day.

  VRE Response
  The platform on the garage side is long enough for 5 cars, so most trains have the southern car(s) off of the platform.  Conductors make the announcements early enough for everyone to walk through on their own, but we also ask the conductors to do a physical check to make sure everyone who wishes to depart at Woodbridge is in the proper car.  Usually, the folks coming through last are ones who did not hear the announcements because they had earbuds in, or otherwise were not paying attention to the announcements.  We will ask the crews to begin doing the physical walk through as soon as they depart Lorton.

   

• Davin from Woodbridge, VA asks
  Did VRE make a change to the schedule? Previously Train 304 would not depart Alexandria until 6:40 AM. But now it departs before when it finishes servicing the station

  VRE Response
  If there is another train right behind 304, or any of our morning northbound trains, we may permit them to depart Alexandria once station work is complete to help keep the entire rail network moving smoothly.

   

• Davin from Woodbridge, VA asks
  You've probably heard in the news that there is talk about bringing the Washington Capitals to Alexandria. If that happens, many rail improvements will need to be made so that VRE could take riders to the game. VRE would need to operate more often in both directions during the day and night

  VRE Response
  We are excited about the proposed projects and how improvements made as a part of the Transforming Rail in Virginia program could help VRE be part of the transportation choices for those events.

   

• Davin from Woodbridge, VA asks
  For the last 2 months in the VRE chat, you said the new VRE mobile will be coming soon. Why is it taking so long and will come out this winter?

  VRE Response
  We are close on the VRE Mobile update.  The new version will include a slightly different look to Train Status which will include not just VRE trains, but Amtrak trains as well.  We will also have passenger count information for each car on the train using the real-time data from our passenger count system so passengers may choose which cars to board.  The new version should be released this month as we are in final testing stages now.

   

• Davin from Woodbridge, VA asks
  Please remind your conductors they need to make announcements. Last month on Train 304, we had a conductor who liked to chat with the passengers. No announcement was made when we switched to track 2 and arrived on the short platform at Franonica-Springfield. As a result, a woman also missed getting off here

  VRE Response
  Thanks Davin, we'll make sure this is part of the crew briefings again tomorrow.

   

   

• Joe Roadie from Fredericksburg, VA asks
  What is the holdup on renewing the Amtrak Step-Up program? The excuses are less and less convincing. You need to get this fixed!

  VRE Response
  We still have an active project underway with Amtrak which will enable our passengers to purchase the step-up tickets and have their name transferred to Amtrak's ride reserve system so it appears on the train's manifest.  This is a new requirement from Amtrak and the project is currently with their IT team.

   

• Coleman from Alexandria, VA asks
  When can we expect work to begin on platform improvements and the 4th track at Alexandria station, and will the island platform also allow boarding on present day track 1?

  VRE Response
  We are currently working with the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) regarding the phasing of the track and station work. Construction is likely to begin in early 2025; all work is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. And yes, the future island platform will allow boarding from present day track 1.

   

   

Good afternoon and Happy New Year!  Thanks for joining us on the first forum of the new year.  We hope everyone had a great holiday season and we look forward to seeing you on the trains as you return to your daily routine.

With us as always, we have representatives from Keolis, Amtrak, CSX, as well as other VRE staff members.  So, get your questions in and let’s get started.