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(Alexandria-AP) -- Commuter rail is critical to Virginia's economic future, but if riders are going to make the most of the service more public money will be needed. And Governor Mark Warner says for Virginia Railway Express, that will include a combination of local state and federal funds.

Warner was in Alexandria to help V-R-E celebrate reaching the 25 (m) million rider mark. VRE now carries more than 16,000 riders each day. VRE Board chairman John Jenkins says if money were available, service could be expanded to Haymarket, adding about four-thousand passenger trips a day.

The VRE Board has set a goal of boosting ridership to about 25,000 by the year 2010, but that can only happen with more federal money. The feds provide about 80% of the money used to assemble the system, which is largely consists of used and refurbished equipment from other railroads.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Date published: 6/3/2004

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