Virginia Railway Express
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER’S
REPORT
September 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
May
June
July
August
52
25
13
6/21
91.7%
30
19
4
4/22
95.5%
45
27
9
5/20
92.5%
49
44
19
3/23
92.9%
28
23
6
90.5%
20
18
3
93.5%
21
15
0
92.5%
32
45
12
90.1%
24
28
7
92.9%
10
19
1
97.2%
24
38
9
92.5%
17
40
7
95.4%
SYSTEM RIDERSHIP
With an average daily ridership (ADR) of 18,759 for August 2011, ridership is 10% higher
(normalized) as compared to August 2010; approximately 850 more trips a day. And, while the
ADR is 10% higher, the year-to-date ridership just two months into the year is 11% higher than
last year.
This month, we again saw the effect of summer vacations on ridership. After four consecutive
months of ADR over 19,000, July and August numbers fell just short of that benchmark. August
had only one day over 20,000 riders and September has also had only one day so far. The top
ten days are below:
1
2
3
3
5
6
7
8
9
10
April 12, 2011
March 23, 2011
April 13, 2011
May 10, 2011
April 6, 2011
March 29, 2011
May 18, 2011
August 9, 2011
March 15, 2011
June 7, 2011
1
21,496
21,136
20,803
20,803
20,791
20,694
20,596
20,579
20,573
20,563
SYSTEM ON-TIME PERFORMANCE
System wide on-time performance (OTP) was 92.9% in August, with 90.06% on the
Fredericksburg Line and 95.38% on the Manassas Line. There were eight days in August when
all trains were on time. Most delays were due to slow orders related to the earthquake on
August 23rd or speed restrictions related to flash flood warnings. Nine trains experienced
mechanical delays during the month of August. The weather in the beginning of September has
not been kind to on-time performance as the high levels of rain have resulted in a few days with
flash flood restrictions. Rain was so heavy on September 8th that it washed out tracks on both
lines, requiring buses to pick up Fredericksburg Line passengers at Franconia/Springfield and
cancelling many Manassas Line trains. We ultimately cancelled all service Friday, September 9th
due to track conditions.
RESULTS OF REDUCTION IN STEP-UP TICKET PRICE FROM $10 TO $5
We are now averaging 234 riders per day on Amtrak trains which is only slightly lower than
when the Step-Up fare was $2 (272 riders in FY 2007) and slightly more than double the daily
average from August 2010.
MASTER AGREEMENT SURVEY
This year, the Annual Master Agreement Survey will be performed on Wednesday, October 5th.
Staff and volunteers will be on-board morning trains to assist with collecting the surveys and
answering any questions. This survey determines jurisdictional subsidies for FY 2013.
GAINESVILLE-HAYMARKET EXTENSION
Revisions to the Addendum to the Rail Enhancement Fund (REF) agreement for the GainesvilleHaymarket Extension project are still underway. The award of the consultant contract for
environmental review and preliminary engineering is pending the execution of this Addendum.
CLIFTON DAY
Clifton Day 2011 is scheduled for Sunday, October 9th with a rain date the following Sunday,
October 16th. The annual non-profit event raises funds for a variety of local organizations. The
festival includes arts and crafts, antiques, demonstrations, the Town Market, live music,
children’s activities and lots of good food. Hours of operations are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
VRE will run trains from the Manassas, Manassas Park, Rolling Road and Burke Centre stations
to Clifton for free. Tickets for the return trip from Clifton may be purchased at the red caboose
in Clifton for $5. Children aged 2 and under ride free with a fare paying adult. VRE passengers
may NOT use their VRE ticket for passage.
2
LOCOMOTIVE PROCUREMENT
The twentieth and last locomotive will be received by the end of the month.
SUMMONS OVERVIEW
In August, there were 54 cases of fare evasion that were brought before the court, most of them
written in previous months. Details are provided below:
Please note the courts were closed for a week in August.
Outcome
Occurrences
Continued
Prepaid
Guilty
Guilty in absentia
Continued
Dismissed
Dismissed
Waived due to TVM issue
Waived with Proof of
Monthly Ticket
3
19
3
7
6
3
5
0
Fine
Court
Costs
$100
$100
$100
$81
$81
$116
0
0
0
0
$81
0
14
WOODBRIDGE STATION KISS AND RIDE
This project is scheduled to begin in October and take up to four months to complete. When
finished, it will provide an access lane and pull-off area on the east side of Route 1 for
commuters who wish to use the VRE station.
BROAD RUN PLATFORM EXTENSION
Work on the platform extension at Broad Run began on August 3rd. The platform will be
extended approximately 200 feet and the construction is expected to last no more than six
months. Work is not expected to impact commuters.
3
MONTHLY PERFORMANCE MEASURES – August 2011
MONTHLY ON-TIME PERFORMANCE
ON-TIME
PERCENTAGE
August Fredericksburg OTP Average
90.06%
August Manassas OTP Average
95.38%
VRE AUGUST OVERALL OTP AVERAGE
92.90%
RIDERSHIP YEAR TO DATE
RIDERSHIP
VRE FY 2012 Passenger Totals
VRE FY 2011 Passenger Totals
809,479
726,115
11.5%
PERCENTAGE CHANGE
RIDERSHIP MONTH TO MONTH COMPARISON
DESCRIPTION
MONTHLY RIDERSHIP
AUGUST 2011
431,451
AUGUST 2010
358,116
PERCENTAGE CHANGE
10.0% (NORMALIZED)
SERVICE DAYS (CURRENT/PRIOR)
21/23
4