The Firecracker Special has burnt out.
Virginia Railway Express announced it would not run its two trains from Manassas and Fredericksburg to the Independence Day celebration and fireworks display in Washington, D.C. on July 4.
The commuter railroad does not offer regular service on that day because of the holiday. The decision to not run the Firecracker Special this year is based on last year’s low ridership numbers, the fact that July 4 falls mid-week on Tuesday, and that “getting the service ready to run for the next morning would be very challenging,” according to a VRE spokesman.
Last year, VRE had a ridership goal of 1,000 per line on July 4. There were 161 on the Manassas line and 364 passengers on the Fredericksburg line.
Last year, tickets for the Firecracker Special were sold for $10 a person.
The Firecracker Special was brought back in 2014 after a 10-year hiatus. Trains on both lines took passengers to Union Station where they could depart and walk the rest of the way to the National Mall for the Independence Day celebration and fireworks. In 2004 and years prior, the July 4 trains stopped at L’Enfant Plaza.
