Virginia Railway Express announced today its trains have been arriving on time more this year than any previous year in the system’s 19-year-history.
VRE’s on time train rate has been clocked at 92.6 percent between the months of January and November 2011, breaking the previous 89.9 percent on time record set in 2009.
A train is considered to be on time if it pulls into its destination within five minutes of its scheduled arrival time.
“This is the second year in a row that VRE has improved on-time reliability while also seeing an increase in ridership,” said VRE Operations Board Chairman Sharon Bulova. “Our entire workforce and railroad partners deserve credit for achieving this prestigious milestone.”
The news comes after VRE earlier this year announced it had carried a record number of passengers.
Officials credit investments in the VRE train fleet, improved maintenance practices, contracted employees that operate and maintain the trains and Norfolk Southern and CSX – the owners of the rail lines VRE operates on – for the success.
The railroad is planning a celebration to mark its 20th year in service next year. Currently, VRE operates 30 trains on both its Fredericksburg and Manassas lines and has carried more than 49 million passenger trips.
