VRE Reports Record On-Time Performance

Virginia Railway Express (VRE) had record on-time performance in October, according to Dale Zehner, VRE Chief Executive Officer.

"VRE operated above 98 percent on-time, an accomplishment never previously achieved in VRE’s 19 year history," Zehner said in a press release. During the month, VRE operated 600 trains with only 11 total delays. VRE considers a train delayed after 5 minutes.

Overall performance during October for the Manassas line was 98.44 percent, and for the Fredericksburg line was 97.86 percent. 

The chart below highlights the top five on-time performance months:

Month/ Year

Overall OTP

October 2011

98%

June 2011

95%

February 2011

94%

September 2009

94%

March 2005

93%

VRE Operations Board Chairman Sharon Bulova cited several reasons for the record.  "VRE's new fleet of rail cars and locomotives reduced mechanical issues and increased reliability," she said. "Second, VRE, in conjunction with the Commonwealth and host railroads CSX and NS, made significant investments in the railroad infrastructure to improve capacity and operational efficiency."

Zehner said he's proud of VRE's customer service. "I am on the train every day, so I know firsthand what needs to be done to make things better and more  reliable for our passengers,” he said.

Since its inception in 1992, VRE has made over 49 million passenger trips.