Virginia Railway Express

Fairfax

VRE budget approved; Saturday service, fare increase

By Uriah Kiser

Virginia Railway Express: “The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget received final approval Thursday evening, as the second of its two parent commissions voted to adopt the budget and accompanying six-year capital improvement program (CIP).”

“VRE’s FY 2025 operating budget totals $119.9 million, which includes operations, maintenance, and existing debt service. This is an increase of $11.0 million or 10 percent over the FY 2024 operating budget. The budget includes increases to fares of 5 percent and jurisdictional contributions of 14 percent. Both take effect July 1. VRE’s last broad-based fare increase was 3 percent in FY 2020.”

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Prince William

Full steam ahead: VRE board approves Saturday service, fare increase; Challenges loom

By Steven Gorski
A Virginia Railway Express train pulls into the Fredericksburg train station. [Photo: Uriah Kiser/PLN]

In what Virginia Railway Express management called the first step in transforming the state’s only commuter railroad, the VRE Operations Board approved its Fiscal Year 2025 budget.

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Fairfax

Survey says: Yes, to VRE Saturday service, fare increase

By Steven Gorski
A Virginia Railway Express train pulls into the Fredericksburg train station. [Photo: Uriah Kiser/PLN]

Virginia Railway Express officials say the public wants Saturday service and is willing to pay for it.

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News

Federal data shows taxpayers paying more to pick up the tab for transit riders

By Uriah Kiser

The Center Square: “Taxpayers are picking up more of the higher costs of transit in the U.S. since the pandemic, according to the latest data released by the Federal Transit Administration.”

“Total operating expenses of all transit agencies have increased from $50.7 billion in 2019 to $53.7 billion in 2022, according to the FTA data. At the same time, passenger-paid fares plummeted during that time span, dropping from $15.3 billion in fare revenue in 2019 to $8.3 billion in 2022, a nearly 50% drop.”

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Prince William

VRE plans weekend service, fare hikes

By Uriah Kiser

Virginia Railway Express aims to add service on Saturday, starting July 1, 2024.

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Prince William

VRE report: Saturday service, fare hike on the table

By Sarah Romero

Virginia Railway Express passengers said there is room for improvement on the state’s only commuter railroad.

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Originals

540-space garage comes at pivotal time for Manassas Park, VRE

By Uriah Kiser
State and local leaders gathered in Manassas Park to break ground for a 540-space parking garage at the city's Virginia Railway Express commuter rail station.

Officials gathered to establish a new parking garage serving Virginia Railway Express riders and downtown Manassas Park visitors.

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Opinion

Opinion: Wider roads fail and the public knows this

By Letters to the Editor
Photo: Virginia Department of Transportation

With the region’s elected officials gathering at their annual retreat this Friday and Saturday, the Coalition for Smarter Growth continued to urge reform of the region’s transportation priorities.

A national poll of 2001 voters (90% of whom are drivers) released last week by Transportation for America revealed that two-thirds of Americans know highway expansions don’t cure traffic. Sixty-seven percent of American voters polled agreed that widening highways attract more people to drive, which creates more traffic in the long run, defeating the stated purpose for countless road expansion projects across the country.

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