Changes Possibly Coming to VRE

On Wednesday night, an official from the Virginia Railroad Express met in a public hearing with long-term riders of the VRE in the Burke area to discuss and receive feedback on three recommended changes in cost and policy. These recommendations included changing the tariff by reducing the Step-Up fare to ride Amtrak trains by up to $5, discontinuing the group fare discount, and no longer allowing bicycles on the train.

The Step-Up fare covers the $10 that Amtrak charges VRE for every VRE rider that rides an Amtrak train, and in 2007, VRE asked riders to pay the full $10 fee. With ridership now outpacing VRE’s ability to provide seats, VRE is looking at the possibility of shifting some of their riders back over to the Amtrak trains and is proposing to reduce the rider portion of the Step-Up ticket by up to $5. The response to this first recommendation was universally favorable, though it was noted that there is a possibility of this discount only being available for a period of 12 months.

Currently, VRE offers a 50 percent discount off the single ride fare to groups with 10 or more fare-paying passengers. VRE has received negative comments from their long-term riders about the fact that groups are able to pay half off the ticket price, while a passenger paying a full fare boards further down the line and may have to stand. VRE is proposing to eliminate the group fare program. “We don’t want one of our long-term riders getting on the train, see a large group of people that are sitting and have to think to themselves, ‘They’re sitting and they paid half the fair, and I’m standing and paid full price’,” the VRE official, Mark Roeber, explained. “There’s equity this way.”

Of the three recommendations, the proposed change in policy on allowing bicycles on the train was the most controversial. In the past, VRE had only permitted collapsible bicycles on board the trains. However, once the new Gallery cars were in operation, the policy was changed to permit bicyclists to bring full-sized bicycles on the last three trains on both lines in the mornings and evenings. Though VRE CEO Dale Zehner wishes to maintain multi-mobile friendly, there is a growing concern for riders as a whole. One long-term rider commented on the lack of space, saying, “I’m paying $200 a month. Hopefully I’d get one seat.” Full size bicycles are secured on the train in a way that takes up to four seats per bicycle, plus making additional standing space unavailable for passengers.  “As we add more cars and add more trains, it’s possible to make that accommodation then we’ll do that,” commented Roeber. VRE is proposing to limit bicycles once again to collapsible bicycles only. An alternative solution of making bicycle lockers available at the Burke, Rolling and Woodbridge VRE stations was also discussed.

At the end of the meeting, frequenters of the VRE were able to express other matters of concern for VRE officials to consider. One long-term rider expressed concern about the announcement of stops, suggesting that perhaps the platform needed to be extended or that the announcement for the upcoming stop needed to be made earlier, and another rider expressed a grievance when it came to customer service.

Upon Board approval, the proposed changes could occur as early as April of this year. “We anticipate acceptance of all recommendations because that means more value for our riders,” said Roeber.