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Fewer heat restrictions lead to better VRE performance Date published: 8/16/2007
By KELLY HANNON Most Virginia Railway Express trains have run on time this summer, thanks in part to a change in CSX Corp. policies on heat restrictions affecting train speeds. Even with temperatures reaching into the upper 90s, VRE has managed to deliver Fredericksburg Line trains on time 86 percent of the time in June, and 87 percent in July. That's a gigantic improvement from last summer, when Fredericksburg Line riders had roughly 50-50 odds of pulling into the station on schedule. Flooding and heat restrictions combined last year for an average on-time rate of 60 percent in June 2006 and 47 percent in July 2006. So far this year, the railway had just three days with heat restrictions in May, five days in June and three days in July. "It's sort of a confluence of events that have helped us do this," said Mark Roeber, VRE manager of government relations and public affairs. The Quantico Creek bridge opened, adding track capacity. And CSX has a new dispatch supervisor, he said. But heat restrictions "are the one that probably rings loudest in the passengers' minds," Roeber said. CSX requires freight trains to reduce their speed by 10 mph, and passenger trains 20 mph, when restrictions are imposed. Now, instead of issuing blanket restrictions on hot days from Washington to Richmond, workers examine targeted segments of track, which are owned by the CSX Corp. of Jacksonville, Fla. Sen. Edd Houck, D-Spotsylvania County, pressed the heat restriction issue with the company. Houck inserted an amendment in the state budget that linked more than $60 million in Rail Enhancement Fund improvements to a mandatory conversation with top CSX officials about the company's heat restriction policy. Houck's amendment asked the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation to execute an operating agreement that improved passenger service, including looking at heat restrictions, before the Rail Enhancement funds were released. Houck credits CSX for being responsive. "I think the budget language required them to come to the table," Houck said. His constituents have noticed the difference. "The response I've gotten from the riders has been very positive," Houck said.
The overall service may be getting better but on the downside VRE's problems really reasonare when they happen. Look at the VRE website and the August daily delay report has a lot of Frederickburg line red lines from mechanical failures, signal errors and train cancellations. It is the train cancelation which is more disturbing because it aooears to be increasing in numbers. VRE needs to get their act together to keep and maintian ridership - steady reliable service will be the key to increased ridership.
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