(The following story by Kelly Hannon appeared at Fredericksburg.com on June 29.)
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — The Virginia Railway Express could buy 20 new locomotives, if bond projects under consideration in Northern Virginia are approved.
The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority has proposed borrowing $44.7 million for locomotives.
The authority would sell bonds this fall if its members adopt taxes and fees authorized by the Virginia General Assembly’s 2007 transportation bill. The vote could follow a July 12 public hearing in Fairfax.
If the bonds are approved, VRE riders could see new locomotives on the tracks in 18 months. The state has allocated $15 million toward the purchase.
“If there’s any way to make it happen sooner, we will do that,” said Mark Roeber, VRE’s manager of government relations and public affairs.
The need for new locomotives is urgent, as riders noticed Wednesday morning when brakes failed on Train 310’s engine. The Fredericksburg-line train had to be canceled.
Some of VRE’s locomotives are 40 to 50 years old, Roeber said.
VRE has worked with CSX Corp. to address issues that were slowing down service, namely heat restrictions in the summer, and competing freight train traffic year-round. CSX, which owns the tracks used by VRE’s Fredericksburg Line, has delivered, Roeber said.
Wednesday “was the first day we had slow orders from heat, so our service has not taken any hits as it has in years past,” Roeber said. He noted there have been several 90 degree days this year without heat restrictions.
The Fredericksburg area will not be directly affected by the bond sale vote, since local residents will not pay the new taxes and fees expected to bring in $300 million a year for Northern Virginia transportation work.
But all VRE riders will benefit, Roeber said.
The authority wants the money to benefit its tax-paying residents, but the nature of VRE means the locomotives will be used on both lines, Roeber said.
NVTA money for station upgrades or line extensions would more likely be used along the Manassas line.
Roeber pointed out it’s difficult to limit benefits in a system where at least 20 percent of riders live in jurisdictions that don’t belong to VRE.
“What we’re really trying to do is make sure the system operates as efficiently and as best it can to serve all the people who need to use the service,” Roeber said.
Mechanical problems are the biggest challenge right now. “Service itself is running much better. On-time performance is up.”
Fredericksburg-line VRE trains were on-time, so far, more than 90 percent of the time in June, Roeber said. May trains had an 89 percent on-time average, he said.
This shows the combined benefit of the new bridge at Quantico Creek, reduced slow orders, and better communication with CSX, he said.
Ridership has rebounded, breaking through the 15,000 passenger mark. VRE hasn’t regularly carried that number of passengers since before last year’s difficult summer when trains were delayed by flooding and heat restrictions.
People realize 90 percent on-time performance is reliable, Roeber said. “Nine times out of 10, I’m going to get you home on time. My analogy is, ‘Do you think you could do that in your car?’ Not from Fredericksburg you couldn’t,” Roeber said.
VRE’s next ridership challenge is adding riders on Monday and Friday trains. With increased teleworking and flex schedules offered by the federal government, ridership is lower on these days, Roeber said.
“We’re trying to examine the demographics of the region and the type of service this new worker may need or want,” he said.