Virginia Railway Express (VRE)

Part 2 – NVTC in Action Partners: Virginia Railway Express (VRE) NVTC and VRE The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission is co-owner of Virginia’s only commuter rail system, the highly successful Virginia Railway Express. With the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, NVTC provides governance and oversight of VRE directly and through its appointments to the VRE Operations Board. In 1989 the two Commissions, NVTC and PRTC, entered into the Virginia Railway Express Master Agreement which, among other things, established an Operations Board to coordinate the creation, development, and operation of the Virginia Railway Express. The Commissions’ each perform management of state and federal assistance to VRE, the support of the VRE Operations Board, and the apportionment of local contributions. The Commissions also share responsibility for regional planning of the VRE commuter rail system. NVTC and PRTC approve VRE policies, fares, major investments and legislative initiatives, authorize expenditures greater than $1,000,000 and approve the annual VRE budget and multi-year capital improvement program. VRE operates 30 trains each weekday and provides up to 21,000 daily trips, offering significant relief in the highly congested I-66 and I-95/395 commuting corridors of Northern Virginia. NVTC and VRE Board Member Appointments NVTC appoints five of the 14 members of the VRE Operations Board, one each from Alexandria and Arlington, three from Fairfax County, and three alternates. NVTC and PRTC members rotate responsibility for chairing the Operations Board. The VRE Operations Board, consisting of 14 Commissioners, oversees all operating aspects of the VRE under authority delegated by the two Commissions and consistent with the terms of the VRE Master Agreement. VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS FACT SHEET VRE removes more than 100 million vehicle SYSTEM QUICK FACTS miles from our region’s interstates annually. • Two Lines: Manassas and Fredericksburg • Serves nine cities and counties in Central and Northern Virginia • Connects with Metrorail at five locations • Operates on 82 miles of track owned by CSX, Amtrak VRE FY2015 Ridership Data, National Transit Database and U.S. Census Bureau’s 2013 American Community Survey and Norfolk Southern • Owns two maintenance facilities, 20 locomotives and 100 railcars VRE has saved $1 billion in highway widening costs. 45% of current riders drove alone before using VRE. Fairfax, County Highway Construction Estimates VRE’s 2018 Customer Opinion Survey POSITIVE IMPACTS REGIONAL MOBILITY • VRE service is equivalent to one lane of traffic on both I-95/I-395 and I-66 during peak periods • Existing operation provides the equivalent capacity of 150 lane miles of freeways • Current ridership reduces freeway delay by as much as 20 percent or up to 4.1 million hours annually in both interstate corridors REDUCED FOOTPRINT • Improves air quality by reducing 50,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide and other emissions per year • Removes more than 100 million vehicle miles from highways annually ECONOMIC STIMULUS • VRE and Metrorail boost state sales and income tax revenues by $600 million annually, according to a report by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission Contact VRE Joe Swartz – Chief of Staff, 703.838.5425, [email protected] The Future of VRE Expanded capacity and increased reliability on both the Fredericksburg and Manassas lines are in the offing. Over the next decade, due primarily to infrastructure improvements that will separate freight and passenger trains, VRE will be able to run longer and more frequent trains and explore the possibility of weekend service. Second Rail Crossing Over Potomac River T he Commonwealth of Virginia recently announced plans to build a new bridge over the Potomac River primarily dedicated to passenger trains. The existing Long Bridge, which operates at 98 percent capacity during rush hour, is one of the most significant rail bottlenecks on the East Coast. The new bridge will go a long way toward eliminating train congestion in the region, thereby improving the on-time performance of VRE’s service. The bridge, which is estimated to cost $1.9 billion, is part of a $3.9 billion package of infrastructure improvements to be completed by 2030. Fredericksburg Line Improvements A dditional tracks in areas north of Lorton, a Franconia-to- Springfield bypass for passenger trains, and six sidings to allow trains to pass are among improvements planned for VRE’s Fredericksburg Line, which provides service between Spotsylvania County and the District of Columbia. These improvements are made possible through an agreement reached between Virginia and CSX Transportation that will allow the commonwealth to acquire roughly half of the CSXT right-of-way in the I-95 corridor and construct 37 miles of track. The addition of a third and fourth track in certain areas opens the door to increased weekday and weekend service. When the agreement is finalized in late 2020, VRE will look at adding a new roundtrip train. Additional service could be phased in beginning in 2026, as infrastructure improvements are completed. Manassas Line Improvements Rail infrastructure improvements in the I-95 corridor will allow for increased capacity and reliability on the Manassas Line, as all VRE trains provide service between Alexandria and the District. By the end of 2020, VRE may explore the addition of another weekday roundtrip train. A $128 million state grant from the I-66 outside the Beltway concessionaire payment will fund improvements to VRE’s Broad Run station and yard and the addition of a third mainline track from the station to a location east of Manassas. The yard expansion is needed to accommodate longer train sets, as VRE moves toward all 10-car trains. Virginia Railway Express 1500 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 @VaRailXpress ♦ www.vre.org ♦ @RideVRE VRE System Map VRE STATS THE BENEFITS OF VRE VRE’s motto of “A better way. A better life.” holds true by providing economic and environmental benefits to our region. % 40of VRE riders drove alone before using VRE. VRE’s 2015 Customer Opinion Survey 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Riding VRE removes more than 100 million vehicle miles from our region’s Interstates annually. VRE FY2015 Ridership Data, National Transit Database and U.S. Census Bureau’s 2013 American Community Survey 1.6to VRE transports the equivalent of one lane of trac from both I-95 and I-66. 3.8 Texas A&M Transportation Institute million personal hours Fredericksburg to DC, saved annually by riders cost per mile annually using VRE. Texas A&M Transportation Institute % 87of VRE riders receive a transit subsidy or pre-tax payment for public transit. VRE’s 2015 Customer Opinion Survey 49¢ vs14¢ VRE’s existence has saved $1 billion in costs associated with highway widening Driver VRE rider Fairfax County Highway Construction Estimates Small sedan driver commuting 28,000 miles per year, 2014 AAA Driving Costs Study 4 RIDE Magazine | March 2016 RIDE Magazine | March 2016 5 Excerpts from Northern Virginia Transportation Commission / Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission / Virginia Railway Express Management Audit Phase II Final Report January 9, 2015 VRE Organizational Structure and Practices (p.2) Relationship Between Commissions and VRE: VRE is a unique transit entity, existing as a transportation partnership of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) and the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC). The audit team recommends an annual training session for Commission members on their roles and responsibilities with respect to their oversight of VRE. The audit team recommends regular meetings between the Commission Executive Directors, VRE CEO, and Operations Board and Commission chairs to coordinate issues jointly concerning VRE and the two Commissions. In addition, the audit team recommends that the Commissions serve as lead planning agency when a mode has not been selected, and VRE serve as lead planning agency when commuter rail has been selected. The audit team recommends that the Commissions continue to serve as the locus for discussions of regional funding—balancing the needs of VRE with other agencies in their districts—while VRE advocate for funding for its particular capital projects and transit services, in coordination with the Commissions. Division of Responsibility Between Commissions and VRE (p.28) There are certain functions that are of concern to the Commissions as well as affecting VRE, such as planning and transportation funding. Funding is a significant concern of the NVTC in particular, which serves a clearinghouse for regional fuel tax revenues and other transit funds to agencies throughout the NVTC District, and must balance the needs of VRE, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), and local transit agencies. PRTC plays a similar role in its district. This includes decisions regarding the amount, type, and timing of funds that each agency’s priorities will receive, and given resource limitations, often involve trade-offs and compromise. In these deliberations, VRE’s status as an entity jointly-owned by each Commission should give it no greater priority than other transit providers in each district. VRE advocates for funding for specific commuter rail projects, seeking the support of NVTC and PRTC for funding from the federal government, the Commonwealth, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, and individual cities and counties. At times, it must make the persuasive case for funding alongside other transit agencies competing for the support of NVTC and PRTC. In some cases, however, there are funds for which VRE is eligible that other transit agencies in the region are not—particular state and federal rail funds. For these sources, the Commissions are free to join VRE in advocating for funding of its projects. In the area of planning there is natural overlap in staff capabilities and responsibilities among VRE and the Commissions. In general, the Commissions’ interests are long-range and strategic, and may focus on multiple modes of transit and multiple corridors across their entire territory.

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