(The following article by Edie Gross was posted on the Free-Lance Star website on March 10.)
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Railway Express passengers will probably pay higher fares to ride the trains to work beginning this summer.
Though the average fare increase systemwide is supposed to be about 6 percent, commuters from the Fredericksburg area who prefer to use 10-trip tickets could see prices jump as much as 25 percent.
VRE officials say they’re hoping those passengers will switch to monthly passes or the new five-day passes, which are easier for conductors to check.
Officials also say they realize this is a difficult time to be asking for more money. VRE riders have endured more late trains and mechanical problems in recent months than usual.
The agency is addressing equipment problems with a separate pot of money, said spokesman Mark Roeber.
But fare increases are needed to cover daily operations expenses–for instance, the $15 million VRE pays Amtrak to run the trains each year, Roeber said.
“In order to advance the system to make the improvements everybody needs, it’s going to take money,” he said. “This is just doing what we have to do to keep the level of service we have.”
The changes in fares are expected to generate about $1 million in new revenue for VRE.
In addition to price increases, riders face new rules when it comes to using Amtrak trains.
Those holding monthly passes and 10-trip tickets for VRE have been allowed to ride select Amtrak trains, including several weekend trains, for no extra cost. At the end of June, access to weekend trains will be eliminated.
If commuters want to ride Amtrak trains during the week, they will have to supplement their VRE pass with a “step-up” ticket for $1 to $3.
VRE pays Amtrak $10 every time a VRE customer rides an Amtrak train, Roeber said. That adds up to about $1 million a year, some of which would now be covered by the passengers, he said.
As a trade-off, Amtrak train 84, which leaves Fredericksburg at 7 a.m., would make stops at L’Enfant Plaza, something it hasn’t done since 1996.
As for weekend service, it doesn’t jibe with VRE’s core mission, which is helping commuters get to and from work during the busiest drive times, Roeber said.
Not many VRE customers were using their passes on weekends anyway, he said. Only $60,000 of that $1 million covered VRE passengers riding Amtrak on Saturdays and Sundays, said Roeber.
“It’s a very, very, very small portion,” he said. “But still, it’s $60,000 we could be keeping in-house.”
Other proposed changes include:
A new five-day pass, which costs the same as eight single-ride tickets. The pass is good for five consecutive days, not including weekends and holidays, from the time it’s validated. So a customer could buy a ticket in July, validate it on a Wednesday in September and use it that Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday.
Because it needs to be stamped by the validating machine only once, VRE officials say it’s easier for the conductors to check those tickets. Ten-trip tickets need 10 different stamps.
A decrease in the savings associated with a 10-trip ticket. Right now, commuters in the Fredericksburg region who buy a 10-trip ticket are saving 15 percent to 16 percent over the cost of buying 10 single-trip tickets. That savings will drop to 5 percent. About 60 percent of VRE’s riders use this ticket.
An increase in the savings associated with the monthly ticket. Right now, commuters with monthly passes save about 30 percent over the cost of buying single-ride tickets, about 42 in an average month. That savings will increase to 33 percent.
A change in the expiration dates for tickets. Now, most VRE tickets are good for six months. Under the new rules, they’d be good for a year.
VRE will hold six public hearings this month and next month before instituting any changes. The changes would not take effect until June 28.
To comment on the proposals, e-mail VRE at publiccomment@vre.org, send a fax to 703/684-1313 or write a letter to VRE, 1500 King St., Suite 202, Alexandria, Va. 22314.
VRE will hold a public hearing at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library, 1201 Caroline St. in Fredericksburg, on March 24 at 7 p.m. For information on other hearings in Northern Virginia, visit vre.org on the Web.