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VRE has made changes to win back the faith of riders who are frustrated by delays, but will they be enough?
During the fiscal year that ended June 30, passenger levels on Virginia Railway Express decreased about 2 percent--178 riders. |
By KELLY HANNON
Virginia Railway Express rider Joe Burgess boarded Train 308 Friday at 7:20 a.m. at the Leeland Road station in Stafford County.
By 10, he had traveled only as far north as Quantico Creek, roughly 16 miles.
His train was at a standstill, and he was watching a freight train roll past. Burgess was fuming. He would be at least two hours late to his job at a federal district court in Washington.
Again.
The time would be subtracted from his vacation leave. In return, he would get a free-ride voucher from VRE, worth about $8.
"We've got people sitting on the tracks that could lose their jobs if this keeps up," Burgess said in a telephone interview from the stalled train.
Burgess started riding VRE in its first year of operation, 1992, and has stuck with it despite delays this year that he calls the worst of his 14 years aboard.
But others have not been so patient. Last year, for the first time in six years, poor on-time performance led VRE to see a decline in ridership.
Passengers levels dropped 2 percent--about 178 riders--in the fiscal year that ended June 30. From 2000 to 2005, VRE ridership grew 13 percent each year. The drop in 2006 has caused the rail service to lose about $500,000 in operating funds.
Mark Roeber, VRE's manager of public affairs and government relations, said the railway knows riders face personal and financial hardships when trains are late. VRE recently started a program that reimburses passengers for late child-care pickup fees, up to four times a year.
"We're the first to admit we've got hiccups we've got to get through," Roeber said. "We need CSX to get their track in order and finally get past the slow orders and heat restrictions and everything that comes with it, so people can have a genuine ride."
On Thursday night, a lightning strike severely damaged equipment at Possum Point near Quantico, causing signal problems and delays of at least an hour for Friday morning and afternoon Fredericksburg-line trains. In the morning, VRE paid for passengers to ride free from the Franconia/Springfield Metro station--but didn't announce that option until 7:30, after Burgess and others had boarded trains.
"They knew this was going on. They could have arranged buses for us and they didn't do that. If the train is not going to be running on time, they should provide an alternate means of transportation," Burgess said.
"I like the train when it runs and it gets you to work but today I could have driven there and already be there."
VRE admitted Friday's on-time performance was terrible.
"What can we say? This morning's service was abominable," read a mass e-mail to passengers from April Maguigad, a VRE customer-service representative.
VRE underestimated the delays early in the morning. When it saw its first train, Train 300, struggle through the affected area, it raised its delay estimate to one hour at 6:30 a.m.
VRE regretted not announcing the Metro option earlier.
"In retrospect, we should have opened it sooner," Maguigad's
Problems started a year ago for VRE and its passengers.
CSX Corp. owns the tracks VRE runs on, and has the authority to control access.
In late July 2005, CSX experienced problems with a new track interlock at Arkendale in North Stafford, causing VRE train delays. Then, because it was summer, there were the perennial heat restrictions. For safety reasons, CSX requires passenger trains to travel 20 mph slower when temperatures exceed 90 degrees.
"It was just one of those how-can-this-get-worse kind of things," Roeber said.
In the fall, CSX kicked off a massive replacement of rail ties. The fall is typically VRE's peak ridership period.
"So you went from a really bad handoff on Arkendale, the mix of heat orders, and the tie replacement program that meant literally for 31/2 months, you went almost every single day with at least some type of delay," Roeber said.
People began to switch to other modes of transportation--car pools, van pools, driving alone.
"It wore on people, and we saw a decrease by late September, early October on the Fredericksburg-line ridership, and that ebbed its way to December," Roeber said.
The situation deteriorated so much between VRE and CSX that CSX appointed Assistant Vice President Jay Westbrook to oversee the company's relationship with passenger rail services, including Amtrak.
At a community meeting in Stafford in February, Westbrook pledged to move CSX's rail-tie replacement program to the summer, when ridership is lighter, and to do more work at night after VRE trains stopped running for the day.
A person at CSX's main communications desk in Florida would be charged with waking up VRE staff in the middle of the night to inform them of significant problems that could snarl service, Westbrook said.
On-time performance began to improve in January, with 74 percent of trains arriving on time. That climbed to 77 percent in February and 85 percent in March and April, before dropping back to 77 percent in May.
But in recent weeks, heat restrictions and other problems have again been causing delays. VRE lost a full day of service June 26, when heavy rains and flooding washed out tracks.
CSX spokesman Robert Sullivan said the relationship between CSX and VRE has improved dramatically, although it may not be noticeable yet to the average commuter. There is simply better and greater communication between the two entities, he said.
"You've got very clear communication on the larger stuff, and even when you have smaller issues, there's a true sense of immediacy and real-time communication so you don't have misconceptions or misjudgments or misunderstandings," Sullivan said.
Eventually, as CSX works with VRE to expand capacity along the tracks, commuters will notice a difference, Sullivan said.
"These are issues that are structural, that are going to take time to resolve. The work is being done to resolve them, but it is going to take time," he said.
Getting back on trackLimited parking at VRE stations and older, cramped passenger cars also could be driving commuters away.
Tim Latendress, a financial analyst, rides the train from Fredericksburg to L'Enfant Plaza. He's looking forward to the new railcars VRE is ordering.
"We deal with the castoffs from other train services. The cars aren't that comfortable," he said.
Eleven of the 50 new railcars will arrive in November, and will provide cushier seating and more space for bicycles and luggage. A second shipment of cars will arrive in late 2007, with the final shipment planned for 2008.
Stafford Supervisor Paul Milde represents the county on the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, which helps oversee VRE. He said ridership will rebound as amenities improve.
Stafford is doing its part by trying to expand parking at the Brooke and Leeland Road stations.
"Extra parking and extra seating should all come together to eventually make it a much better riding experience," Milde said. "My belief is we're going to see more and more riders on the train, taking riders off our clogged roads."
VRE holds the same view.
"Even though we see a 2 percent decline this year, by no means is this a picture of doom and gloom. By reverse, I think it's positive that, if a few things fall into place, I could easily see us doubling our ridership," Roeber predicted.
A key development would be the construction of a third track from Arkendale in Stafford to Powell's Creek in Prince William County. Akin to adding another lane to Interstate 95, a third track over this 11.4-mile stretch would create a passing lane for trains.
Today, with just two tracks, VRE trains get stuck behind disabled trains and must wait to cross the single-track bridge at Quantico Creek, a frequent choke point. A two-track bridge is scheduled to open there by early 2007, and the bridge has the capacity to hold a third track in the future.
But the $70 million third-track project is waiting for money. In December, the Commonwealth Transportation Board approved $2.5 million to complete preliminary engineering. Virginia House Speaker Bill Howell submitted a budget amendment providing another $17.6 million, but it was removed by a budget conference committee during final negotiations over the state budget.
Ridership may improve if Spotsylvania and Caroline counties join VRE. If they do, it could mean additional parking and train stations, easing the burden on facilities in Stafford and Fredericksburg, Roeber said.
Spotsylvania officials are currently reviewing a contract to join VRE, Roeber said. A bond referendum approved by 60 percent of Spotsylvania voters in November includes $13 million for a VRE station.
VRE estimates that more than 800 Spotsylvania residents ride the train daily, even though they must drive to Fredericksburg or Stafford to catch it.
Caroline officials have had exploratory talks with VRE about what membership would mean, Roeber said. Previous talks in Caroline about joining VRE have been controversial, since VRE member communities must levy a 2 percent sales tax on gasoline.
Gas stations in Caroline are major pit stops for truck traffic on Interstate 95. However, the bulk of proceeds can be spent on county transportation projects.
On Friday, Burgess got to work by 11. Then his afternoon train, Train 311, was cancelled.
"God only knows how we're going to get home tonight," he said that afternoon. "It'll be a nightmare for all of us."
To reach KELLY HANNON:
Email: khannon@freelancestar.com
