Friday, April 26, 2013
The Virginia Railway Express issued a warning to passengers who cross the tracks to reach nearby neighborhoods instead of using the available bridge.
The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) has issued a safety warning to all Burke residents who use the Burke Centre Station, located at 10399 Premier Court, to stop crossing the tracks to access Guinea Road. In an email message sent through their newsletter (see below), the VRE advised Burke Centre passengers to use the Roberts Parkway bridge rather than crossing the train tracks to access neighborhoods near Guinea Road: Each day we see a number of VRE and Amtrak passengers leave the station and hike up and over the tracks at this point as a shortcut to Guinea Road. Simply put, this practice is unacceptable to us. You are taking a significant risk in doing this because visibility is severely limited by the natural curve of the railroad and both…
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
VRE riders have been waiting since December for Commonwealth officials to approve the lower rate for "step-up" tickets.
The reduction of the price of Amtrak step-up tickets from $5 to $3 for Virginia Railway Express (VRE) riders has been delayed again, VRE officials reported this week. "We were hoping to have this completed January 1 and then again on February 1, but we were unable to proceed until the Commonwealth of Virginia signed off on the step-up price commitment," according to the announcement. VRE monthly or 10-trip tickets holders now pay $5 for a step-up ticket that allows them to ride select Amtrak trains. Virginia officials are required to sign off on the fare reduction agreement because the Commonwealth is contributing funds from the Interstate 95 High Occupancy/Toll (HOT) Lanes, VRE spokesman Mark Roeber said. "We're still waiting for this …
Thursday, January 10, 2013
A fact sheet from Amtrak announcing its highest ridership in years shows Burke Centre as one of the fastest growing stations in the country.
Amtrak saw a record-setting 2012 fiscal year thanks in part to ridership from Virginia residents. According to the Amtrak Fact Sheet for FY 2012 (see PDF at right), Burke Centre was the third most-traveled stop in Virginia after Alexandria and Ashland. The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) operates the Burke Centre stop. Regular Amtrak ticket sales to/from Burke Centre began in 2010. Statistics released by Amtrak for every stop in the United States shows an increase in ridership by 3.5 percent. In Virginia, ridership increased by 8.3 percent. Burke Centre is also listed as Virginia’s fastest growing station and one of the nation’s fastest at a 38 percent increase. Two Virginia routes as ranked third and fourth as the fastest growing of the …
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
'Multiple internal control issues' prompt review of Virginia Railway Express management.
Gov. Bob McDonnell has asked for a review of Virginia Railway Express (VRE) relating to its governance and management practices. "There are multiple internal control issues that have arisen recently which are summarized below, which call into question the management of Virginia Railway Express," wrote McDonnell in an Oct. 3 letter to Virginia Inspector General Michael Morehart and Auditor of Public Accounts Walter Kucharski. McDonnell said he'd learned of the issues in question "through multiple sources." At Tuesday night's Fredericksburg City Council Meeting, Ward III Council Member and VRE Board Member Fred Howe announced he was participating in the review process. "The Governor has undertaken a review of VRE based on some whistle …
Thursday, October 4, 2012
VRE Fredericksburg trains were delayed up to an hour due to a suspicious package in D.C.
VRE's Fredericksburg service was halted Tuesday as D.C. Metropolitan Police secured L’Enfant Station to investigate a suspicious package. Trains were delayed up to an hour, according to VRE, and then VRE had some trains skip stops to lessen congestion and reduce delays. Rich Dalton, VRE director of rail equipment and services, and Chris Henry, director of rail operations, addressed the issues in Wednesday's online forum. Their remarks about the situation preceded the usual question and answer format, and are included here in there entirety. We would first like to start off by saying we apologize for any inconveniences experienced last night as a result of the disruption. In today’s world, we have to take every threat seriously as we …
Thursday, September 27, 2012
The annual event tests emergency and security preparedness.
Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is conducting its annual simulated train disaster on Oct. 27, and they are looking for volunteers to serve as simulated victims. The drill will be held in Alexandria. "The purpose of the annual simulation is to test VRE's federally approved Emergency Preparedness Plan and our security preparedness," said VRE in a press release. "During the simulated disaster, local, state and federal first responders test their skills in responding to the train emergency, and VRE gauges our crew, our railroad partners' and our staffs' preparedness for addressing any train emergency." Volunteer victims must arrive no later than 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27, and will be free to leave no later than 1 p.m. Additional …
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Manassas Park Police say the Virginia Medical Examiner's Office is assisting the investigation.
Update: Medical Examiner's office said that the remains are not human. Original article: Human body parts were found in a package at mile marker 30.6 on the railroad tracks in Manassas Park, said Mark Roeber, manager of public affairs for Virginia Railway Express. Roeber told Patch that Manassas Park Police informed VRE officials of the remains at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. All Amtrak and VRE trains were prevented from moving until police gave them clearance, VRE spokesman Mark Roeber said. Manassas Park Police Chief John Evans said he couldn't confirm that body parts or human remains were found at the scene. The department did later release a statement saying the Virginia Medical Examiner's Office is assisting in the investigation. It …
Friday, September 14, 2012
The first of three express buses will run from Burke to Tysons. Routes from Lorton and Springfield set for next spring.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved Tuesday a series of express bus routes to Tysons Corner. The service will use the nearly completed I-495 Express Lanes to shuttle commuters from the Burke Centre Virginia Railway Express (VRE), Lorton VRE and Springfield VRE stations to Tysons. The three bus routes are expected to run every 15 minutes during rush hours, and one-way fares are expected to cost between $3.65 and $5.35. Final fare and schedule details will be decided in the fall. “These new bus routes are a great step in the effort to reduce congestion on our roads and provide more transportation alternatives for our residents.” Chairman Bulova said in a statement. “People taking advantage of this new opportunity will enjoy a …
Thursday, September 13, 2012
The new chief executive officer was ratified by transportation commissions.
Doug Allen has been ratified as the new Chief Executive Officer of Virginia Railway Express by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) and the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC), according to Virginia Railway Express Chairman Wally Covington. Allen replaces Dale Zehner, who served as VRE's first CEO from 2004 until his retirement on June 30, 2012. Allen is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer of Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority in Austin, Texas. “The Operations Board felt that Mr. Allen’s background and his previous experience made him a perfect fit for moving VRE ahead in the years to come,” said Chairman Covington in a press release. According to the …
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Public meeting scheduled August 22 to review plans.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) will hold a public meeting this Wednesday (Aug. 22) to discuss the proposed new Fairfax Connector service that will use the 495 Express Lanes. Once the 495 Express Lanes are opened this December, the proposed new Fairfax Connector routes would include: According to the Fairfax Connector's webpage, these new routes would: The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Braddock Hall at the Braddock Governmental Center.
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Fairfax County Government: Braddock Hall - Office of Braddock District Supervisor
9002 Burke Lake Rd, Burke, VA
/articles/fairfax-connector-may-use-hot-lanes-to-link-vre-to-tysons
260218
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David B Meyers
6:16 am on Saturday, April 27, 2013
$4 Million... is this genuine? Pohick Stream Trail was $750,000. from VRE to Burke Village. more ›