WOODBRIDGE — Delays on Virginia Railway Express trains have become more common in recent weeks.
On Monday, signal issues and speed restrictions on the commuter railroad’s Manassas Line lead to delays. On the system’s Fredericksburg Line, commuter trains have been made late by freight trains using the line — which take precedence over the commuter trains as the freight railroads own the tracks.
The delays come on the heels of additional delays caused during the recent implementation of a new Positive Train Control (PTC) system that will help reduce the risk of train crashes.
“We realize these issues coming on the heels of several weeks of substandard performance are very frustrating and have created an inconvenience for our riders,” VRE wrote in a statement to its riders this week.
Prince William County Brentsville District Supervisor Jeanine Lawson she’s gotten an earful from train commuters in her district that have been unusually late to work due to the railroad delays. Many of them, she said, have received free rail passes to use the system as a means of apology by VRE after they were delayed and made late to work.
Lawson at Tuesday’s Board of County Supervisors meeting asked VRE’s Christine Hoeffer if the commuter railroad service would like the help of the county’s communications office to ramp up efforts to reach unhappy riders to offer them free passes to use the system.
“Yesterday there was a 70-minute delay,” said Lawson. “I’m offering help, I don’t know if y’all want it but, if you need it…”
Hoeffner said the commuter railroad is working to improve. and that “recent fixes” on the PTC system have to lead to improvements in the train on-time performance.
Potomac District Supervisor Maureen Caddigan suggested Lawson bring up her concerns at this week’s Virginia Railway Express Operations Board meeting in Woodbridge on Friday. When it comes to utilizing county staff to issue free rail passes to VRE riders, “we don’t do that,” said Caddigan.
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