(The Associated Press circulated the following article on June 28.)
WASHINGTON — Day two of the Virginia Railway Express fare hike, and things are going even worse than day one.
By the railroad’s own admission, it was a “difficult commute” this morning on the Fredericksburg Line. And again, they’re placing the blame on freight operator CSX, which owns the track and was doing work which ran late.
According to the commuter line, its trains were put on the track farthest from the platform. That wouldn’t have been so bad, except that a signal problem developed — forcing trains to crawl at 15-miles-an-hour for nearly 20 miles.
VRE says the track work continues two more nights, but it has been assured by CSX that there won’t be problems like this again.
Meanwhile, the ride home will also be a chore. Heat restrictions are in place, meaning trains have to go slow.
VRE just raised fares yesterday for the third straight year.