Virginia Railway Express

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Virginia Railway Express
logo
Reporting marks VREX
Locale Northern Virginia
Dates of operation 1992 – present
Track gauge ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters Alexandria, Virginia

The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is a commuter railroad service that connects the Northern Virginia area with Washington, DC. The VRE operates on two lines, the Fredericksburg line, which starts from Fredericksburg, Virginia and the Manassas line, which starts from Broad Run Airport in Bristow, Virginia. Both lines end at Union Station in Washington, DC. Fredericksburg is considered the southernmost suburb of Washington. It is a transportation partnership of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) and the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC).

Its organization consists of the VRE Operations Board, which consists of seven commissioners [the Director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (VDRPT) and three commissioners each from NVTC and PRTC], which oversees all operating aspects of the Virginia Railway Express, and the VRE Operations Group, which reports to the Board and handles the daily operations of the VRE.

The fare structure is distance-based. Stations are divided up into nine zones. Through a cross-honoring agreement extended through April 2006, VRE and MARC honor each other's tickets traveling in each direction.

On January 5th, 2006 at 6:45am, VRE's Fredericksburg line train #304 bound for Washington D.C. derailed at Possum Point just north of Quantico, Virginia. Four people, including one conductor suffered minor injuries and were treated and released by medical personnel. The NTSB is investigating the cause of the derailment, the first in VRE's fourteen-year history.

Virginia Railway Express locomotive in push-pull commuter service photo credit www.trainweb.com
Enlarge
Virginia Railway Express locomotive in push-pull commuter service photo credit www.trainweb.com

Contents

[edit] Fredericksburg Line

The Fredericksburg Line runs north-south along trackage owned by CSX.

Station (Zone) Daily Ridership Annual Ridership
2003 2004 2003 2004
Fredericksburg (9) 857 973 213096 239540
Leeland(8) 546 608 135500 149536
Brooke(8) 300 328 73852 80465
Quantico (6) 399 441 98340 108769
Rippon(5) 347 382 85507 93945
Woodbridge (5) 693 773 170854 190166
Lorton (4) 205 222 50701 54635
Franconia-Springfield (Transfer to Metro Blue Line) (3) 196 210 48623 52294
Alexandria Union Station (Transfer to Metro Blue and Yellow Lines at King Street, Amtrak) (2) 345 425 85562 105450
Crystal City (Transfer to Metro Blue and Yellow Lines) (2) 1033 1165 256447 292114
L'Enfant Plaza (Transfer to Metro Green and Yellow Lines) (1) 1119 1252 277939 314158
*Union Station (Transfer to Metro Red Line, MARC, Amtrak) (1) 617 717 153142 179393

[edit] Manassas Line

The Manassas Line runs east-west along trackage owned by Norfolk Southern.

Station (Zone) Daily Ridership Annual Ridership
2003 2004 2003 2004
Broad Run (6) 557 673 138456 165626
Manassas (6) 599 676 148722 167277
Manassas Park (6) 544 624 135075 154229
Burke Center (4) 663 765 164568 189146
Rolling Road (4) 355 393 88189 97389
Backlick Road (3) 131 138 32701 64056
Alexandria Union Station (Transfer to Metro Blue and Yellow Lines at King Street, Amtrak) (2) 202 228 50292 56390
Crystal City (Transfer to Metro Blue and Yellow Lines) (2) 691 768 172148 189820
L'Enfant Plaza (Transfer to Metro Green and Yellow Lines) (1) 1279 1441 318712 355780
Union Station (Transfer to Metro Red Line, MARC, Amtrak) (1) 725 815 180748 201561

[edit] See also

[edit] External links