BY KELLY HANNON
WOODBRIDGE--
Early birds in the Fredericksburg area may finally get their wish for a Virginia Railway Express train that leaves before 5:15 a.m.Railroad track improvements funded with state and federal money have opened up slots for new VRE trains to operate beginning in late 2009 or early 2010.
Yesterday, VRE chief executive officer Dale Zehner recommended using one of the slots on the Fredericksburg Line for a 5:05 a.m. express train.
Train 298 could leave Fredericksburg at 5:05 a.m. and stop only at Leeland Road and Brooke before becoming an express to Alexandria, Crystal City, L'Enfant Plaza and Union Station.
The earliest train now departs Fredericksburg at 5:15 and makes all stops along the line. It is VRE's most popular train, and by Woodbridge some boarding passengers must stand.
If approved, Train 298 would arrive in Alexandria at 6:07 a.m. It would pull into Crystal City at 6:15, L'Enfant Plaza at 6:33 and Union Station at 6:29.
Funding the train would require a one-time $200,000 payment to staff the train, and $628,000 in annual operating costs.
Zehner thinks VRE would gain at least 200 new riders by starting this train. He said he has heard from more than 400 riders who have expressed interest in riding an earlier morning train.
That may be enough people to fund the train on ticket fares alone, and it would probably not increase the local subsidy VRE member communities pay, Zehner said. Subsidies are based almost entirely on ridership in a community.
Also, Train 298 would free up seats on Train 300, making that ride more pleasant for later riders.
The VRE Operations Board heard about Train 298 as part of a informational presentation yesterday during its monthly meeting in Woodbridge. The Operations Board has not approved this train yet. That vote would occur later this year, when Zehner makes 2010 budget recommendations.
Other than Train 298, VRE does not have money to start other VRE trains, despite having slots to run new trains in late 2009.
Instead, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation wants to fund two new Amtrak trains.
One of the trains would run from Richmond to Washington starting in late 2009. Another new train would run between Lynchburg and Washington.
VRE passengers could ride these Amtrak trains if they showed a monthly or 10-trip VRE pass, and paid an additional $10. Passengers could also directly purchase Amtrak tickets.
The northbound Amtrak train on the Fredericksburg Line would arrive in Fredericksburg at 8 a.m. The train would stop at Quantico, Woodbridge, Alexandria, L'Enfant Plaza and Union Station. In the afternoon, an Amtrak train would leave Union Station at 3:55 p.m. It would arrive in Fredericksburg at 5:17 p.m.
Amtrak trains cannot act as commuter trains under federal law, Zehner said, which is why they would not stop in Stafford.
The Operations Board unanimously voted to approve the DRPT proposal to fund Amtrak trains.
Two transportation commissions in Northern Virginia now must vote on the Amtrak proposal.
But Stafford County Supervisor George Schwartz said he is not convinced the DRPT-funded Amtrak trains are the best use of state money for passenger rail.
He would have preferred to see the money used to expand VRE's schedule, and he questioned the need for service to Lynchburg.
"I think they've jumped into this prematurely," Schwartz said.
VRE still has the opportunity to use the open slots for new trains in future years, if funding is available.
Paul Milde, a Stafford supervisor and VRE Operations Board vice chairman, said the DRPT proposal "is consistent with our mission to take cars off of our already crowded highways, and it does so without an increase in cost to the member jurisdictions or the riders."
Kelly Hannon: 540/374-5436
Email: khannon@freelancestar.com
| VRE'S ON-TIME RATE
Trains on the Fredericksburg Line arrived on time The on-time arrival rate on the Fredericksburg Line is 93 percent so far in February. Ridership on VRE in January was 8.4 percent higher than in January 2008. |