Proposed Service Changes FAQ
We know that many riders have questions regarding the proposed service
changes. Below are the most asked questions that we've received from
riders. If you have a question, feel free to email
Gotrains.
Why can't the trains go into Union Station
first and then go back to L'Enfant to park?
The storage track is located off the same track that we use to access the
L'Enfant station. Trying to drop off passengers at Union Station and backtracking to
L'Enfant would interfere with the other rush hours trains that are trying to access the
L'Enfant platform. With VRE trains operating every 10-15 minutes in this area (when you
put both the Manassas and Fredericksburg Line train schedules together), this would be like
trying to back up in a through lane on I-95.
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Why isn't an express
train on the Manassas Line being considered? You're discriminating.
Part of the proposed change would take a non-revenue train
that already operates on the Fredericksburg in the afternoon and move it to
the morning. Fredericksburg Line riders have been vocal through our surveys
and emails about having an express train that would get them downtown before
6:30am. Manassas Line riders, over the years, have expressed interest in
different trains, like the mid-morning train and later evening service.
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Why was the decision made to run an early
morning express train rather than one later in the morning service?
Currently, the first train out of Fredericksburg, Train 300,
has the most riders of any VRE train. Based on the feedback we have received
from our Fredericksburg Line riders, the express train will capture a lot of
those riders and free up room on Train 300 and other morning trains. We
think that as many as a third of those riders will change from Train 300 to
the express train.
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Why were only the southern-most stops included
in the express stops?
Fredericksburg, Leeland Road, and Brooke are the stations furthest
away from the city center and the time savings would benefit those stations the most.
Over half of our Fredericksburg Line riders use these three stations.
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Can an arrangement with Metro be made to
transport VRE patrons from L'Enfant to Union Station since we're already
paying for it by buying a Zone 1 ticket? You are not only adding time
to my commute, but an additional cost.
Our intent is for riders wishing to go to Union Station to be able
to connect with another VRE train, likely on the other line of service, within 10
minutes of detraining at L'Enfant (i.e., Manassas Line riders would take the following
train which would be a Fredericksburg Line train). We think that this will be quicker
than Metro. As a result, we will not make arrangements with Metro to cover Metro
costs.
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Why can't there be an express in the
evening to compliment the morning express?
We do not have enough equipment to run another train. On the
Fredericksburg Line, we use six train sets to operate six morning trains and seven
afternoon/evening trains. We are able to run seven trains at night because we run a
non-revenue "deadhead" train after the mid-day train completes its southbound run.
Our proposal is to change the afternoon "deadhead" train to operate as the morning
express train.
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309 is the train that needs more cars, not 307.
We, too, would like to lengthen more trains than just provided
for in our proposal. However, based on the amount and layout of the storage space
at our mid-day storage yard, the number of trains that we can add cars to is
limited.
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Will express train change schedule to 300?
An express train that operates prior to Train 300 will not
affect Train 300's schedule.
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We have not made a decision about how the "S" schedule will be
affected. Especially in the case of inclement weather, the first trains on both
lines do not operate to give crews and riders more time to get the station.
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The final decision will be made by our Operations Board, which is
comprised of local elected officials. However, VRE staff will provide them with a
recommendation. Roughly half of our staff commute regularly using VRE, including the
CEO, Director of Rail Equipment, and Director of Rail Operations. More importantly,
the decision has not been made yet. We want the input from the riders before the plans
are set in motion. In the past, public comment periods have changed our proposals.
For example, a few years back, we proposed to eliminate the Free Ride Certificate
program because of budget cuts. Due to the overwhelmingly negative response, we
compromised and increased the qualifying time to be eligible for an FRC from 30 minutes
to 60 minutes and later reduced it back down to 30. In essence, the decision is going
to be made you, the rider.
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These changes are proposed in an effort to provide additional capacity
on our entire system. While we know that there will be some who are negatively affected,
we want to be able to address some of the crowding issues that our riders are currently
experiencing. We are proposing to add an additional train and more cars to currently
crowded trains.
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