Virginia Railway Express
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER’S
REPORT
May 2011
MONTHLY DELAY SUMMARY
System wide
Total delays
Average length of delay (mins.)
Number over 30 minutes
Days with Heat Restrictions/Total days
On-Time Performance
Fredericksburg Line
Total delays
Average length of delay (mins.)
Number over 30 minutes
On-Time Performance
Manassas Line
Total delays
Average length of delay (mins.)
Number over 30 minutes
On-Time Performance
January
February
March
April
64
27
12
0/20
89.1%
32
23
8
0/19
94.4%
76
18
7
0/23
89.0%
54
21
10
0/21
91.4%
37
27
7
86.5%
14
21
2
94.7%
14
18
25
6
94.1%
58
16
3
82.0%
36
20
6
87.8%
18
25
4
95.1%
18
21
4
94.6%
27
28
5
91.4%
SYSTEM RIDERSHIP
With an average daily ridership of 19,307 for April 2011, ridership increased 8.9% compared to
April 2010. Year-to-date ridership is 11.1% higher than last year. All top ten ridership days
have occurred since March 1, 2011. The top ten days (as of May 10) are below.
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2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
April 12, 2011
March 23, 2011
April 13, 2011
May 10, 2011
April 6, 2011
March 29, 2011
March 15, 2011
March 30, 2011
May 3, 2011
April 5, 2011
21,496
21,136
20,803
20,803
20,791
20,694
20,573
20,545
20,423
20,371
SYSTEM ON TIME PERFORMANCE
System wide on-time performance (OTP) was 91.43% in April, with 87.76% on the
Fredericksburg Line and 94.64% on the Manassas Line. Most of the delays were railroad-related
such as track work, signal and switch issues, etc. I continue to see improvement in the
reduction of mechanical delays, especially as older locomotives are replaced with new
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locomotives. In addition, track work on the CSX line has been completed and I predict OTP on
the Fredericksburg Line will improve in the near future.
CONSIST CHANGE
On Monday May 2, we began turning one Manassas Line train at Union Station and returning it
to Broad Run to be stored during the mid-day. By doing this, we were able to add railcars to
the following trains:




Train 300/313 had one railcar added, bringing this train to 5 railcars
Train 310/311 had one railcar added, bringing this train to 6 railcars
Train 312/301 had one railcar added, bringing this train to 4 railcars
Train 326/329 had two railcars added, bringing the train to 8 railcars
These five railcars add 700 seats to our service and should accommodate 1,400 additional trips
each day. In addition, the 8 car Fredericksburg Line train has been moved to train 306 in the
morning and continues to operate as 307 in the evening.
We received many appreciative comments during the on-line forum on Wednesday, May 4th.
GAINESVILLE-HAYMARKET EXTENSION
Revisions to the Addendum to the Rail Enhancement Fund (REF) agreement for the GainesvilleHaymarket Extension project are underway to address changes requested by the
Commonwealth. The award of the consultant contract for environmental review and
preliminary engineering is pending the execution of this Addendum.
FRENCH DELEGATION VISIT
On Friday, April 29, VRE hosted a tour for members of the French Delegation who came here to
meet with the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. They rode a VRE train to Alexandria where I
made a presentation on the transition from Amtrak to Keolis. A dinner in Georgetown
followed, attended by several of our Operations Board members.
VDRPT TRANSPORTATION VIDEO
VDRPT is in the process of creating a YouTube video site where all transportation systems in
Virginia will be featured. The idea is to show potential riders how to use each system in a
friendly and educational way. VRE was filmed on Thursday, May 5th. After editing, a short
version will also be available for viewing on VRE’s Facebook page.
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LOCOMOTIVE PROCUREMENT
Ten new locomotives have been delivered to VRE, with nine currently in service. Four out of
the five train sets on the Manassas Line have a new locomotive and five out of the seven train
sets on the Fredericksburg Line have a new locomotive. We have sold all of our older
locomotives with the exception of two and I am hoping to find a buyer for those as well. All
VRE revenue trains (12 trains) will be equipped with a new locomotive by the end of this
month. The remaining eight locomotives will be delivered by the end of July.
MEET THE MANAGEMENT
Our annual “Meet the Management” program is going well. These events are an opportunity to
show appreciation to our riders. During this time, VRE management visits a different station
every week, bringing refreshments for passengers. The goal is to meet our riders in person and
to hear any questions, complaints, or comments they may have. Board Members are welcome
to attend any or all of the events in their jurisdictions. Below please find this years’ remaining
Meet the Management schedule:
May 18
May 25
June 1
June 8
June 15
June 22
June 29
July 6
July 13
July 20
July 27
August 3
August 10
Fredericksburg, all morning trains
Broad Run, all morning trains
Leeland Road, all morning trains
Manassas, all morning trains
Brooke, all morning trains
Manassas Park, all morning trains
Quantico, all morning trains
Burke Centre, all morning trains
Rippon, all morning trains
Rolling Road, all morning trains
Woodbridge, all morning trains
Backlick, all morning trains
Lorton, all morning trains
CUSTOMER SERVICE SURVEY
The annual customer service survey was held on Wednesday, May 11th. This is the survey
where customers rate our service and show us where we can improve. This year, the survey
will be very important because it will show us how Keolis compares as our service provider as
well as where management can improve. All morning trains, including the Amtrak Step Up
trains, were included in the survey. Results will be tabulated and reported to the Board in
August.
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SUMMONS OVERVIEW
In April, there were 124 cases of fare evasion that were brought before the court, most of them
written in previous months. Details are provided below.
Outcome
Fine
Court
Costs
100
0
100
100
81
81
81
81
0
0
0
81
1
0
0
1
1
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Occurrences
Appealed
Prepaid
Guilty
Guilty
Guilty in absentia
Continued
Dismissed
Dismissed
Dismissed per conductor
request (in court)
Held in juvenile court
No Information
1
31
7
13
27
4
11
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QUEUING ISSUES
Over the last few months as our ridership has grown, VRE has received more and more
complaints from riders about nearly missing their station stop as they were unable to get off the
train in time. In some cases, riders have missed their station entirely. While queuing occurs in
the morning, the problem is more prevalent in the evenings when seats are available.
The strategy of VRE’s queuing policy is to clear the aisles so that everyone who needs to get off
the train can. When a train is in the station, it is assumed that anyone standing is attempting to
detrain. As such, once everyone has detrained, the aisles should be clear. Once the train has
departed the station, the next group of riders is permitted to stand. If passengers are observed
standing in the aisles when the train is at a station, the doors will remain open and the train will
not move.
This policy is based on an operational trial conducted on Manassas Train 329 and passenger
feedback. We will be implementing this policy system-wide on an as needed basis beginning
June 1.
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AUDIT OF VRE’S SYSTEM SAFETY PROGRAM PLAN
During the week of May 9th VRE was audited on its System Safety Program Plan by
representatives from the FRA, APTA and the Volpe Center. The audit involves interviews of
key personnel from both VRE and Keolis, field visits to rail yards, the riding of VRE trains and
document verification.
To-date, VRE has undergone three of these audits, which usually occur at three year intervals.
The last audit was completed in 2007. The 2007 audit recommended several enhancements to
VRE operations as well as to VRE mechanical activities. The majority of these recommendations
were implemented as part of the contract with Keolis. There were no findings of noncompliance in the 2007 audit. A final report will be issued by APTA within 90 days.
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MONTHLY PERFORMANCE MEASURES – April 2011
MONTHLY ON-TIME PERFORMANCE
ON-TIME
PERCENTAGE
April Fredericksburg OTP Average
87.76%
April Manassas OTP Average
94.64%
VRE APRIL OVERALL OTP AVERAGE
91.43%
RIDERSHIP YEAR TO DATE
RIDERSHIP
VRE FY 2011 Passenger Totals
VRE FY 2010 Passenger Totals
3,680,696
3,314,062
11.1%
PERCENTAGE CHANGE
RIDERSHIP MONTH TO MONTH COMPARISON
DESCRIPTION
MONTHLY RIDERSHIP
APRIL 2011
405,453
APRIL 2010
372,232
PERCENTAGE CHANGE
8.9%
SERVICE DAYS (CURRENT/PRIOR)
21/21
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