(The following article by Kelly Hannon was posted on the Free Lance Star website on April 20.)
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Lingering concerns about on-time performance and delays on the Virginia Railway Express have slightly lowered ridership on the Fredericksburg line this year.
During the first three months of 2006, ridership was down an average of 4.2 percent compared with the first three months of 2005.
Last year, from July through November, trains were late on the Fredericksburg line 30 percent-40 percent of the time. Then the service had its first derailment in January, which shut down service for the rest of the day. Passengers already in Washington were brought home on buses.
There is still no word on what caused January’s derailment. A spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board said the investigation is continuing and a report might not be completed until summer or early fall.
VRE knows there is a connection between the dip in passengers and delays, spokesman Mark Roeber said.
“There’s only so much people can take before they’re like, ‘OK, I’ve got to try something else,'” Roeber said.
Across the system, total VRE ridership is nearly the same as it was a year ago. That’s because the VRE’s Manassas line has been gaining riders.
VRE hopes to lure Fredericksburg-area commuters back to its trains with better performance and more comfort, Roeber said.
On-time performance has improved, Roeber said. Fredericksburg trains were on time 77 percent of the time in February and 74 percent in January.
Roeber thinks the coordination with CSX, which owns the tracks used by VRE trains, has helped. A CSX executive has been appointed to improve passenger service along the Washington to Richmond corridor.
VRE also plans to begin introducing 50 new railcars in fall 2007. All eight member communities have approved their share of the project’s $92 million cost. VRE is waiting to see if Virginia will provide $15 million in the state budget for the railcars before it signs the loan.
“They’re really going to have all the bells and whistles,” Roeber said of the new cars. “They’ll have state-of-the-art systems as well.”
The modern coaches will provide more room for luggage, bikes and people.
Steve Dunham, a VRE commuter and chairman of the Virginia Association of Railway Patrons, said on-time performance has improved. He thinks riders may have left based on last year’s delays.
“I don’t think the service is any worse than it was a year ago,” Dunham said, “and it may be somewhat better.”