Fare-Free Virginia Railway Express Planned For Metro Shutdown

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Virginia Railway Express will be fare free during September and from certain stations in October after Operations Board approval Friday.

Fares will be free for all Virginia Railway Express riders throughout September as Metro's shutdown will start impacting transit riders on Sept. 10. Virginia Railway Express will also be free in October for riders traveling between zones 1, 2 and 3, which includes Backlick Road, Franconia-Springfield, Alexandria, Crystal City, L'Enfant Plaza and Union Station.

Rich Dalton, CEO of Virginia Railway Express, said the fare-free initiative seeks to show appreciation for riders who have stuck with the rail system over the last few years. It also aims to attract new riders and support the region through the Metro shutdown.

"This is obviously promotional for VRE but also to help get ridership up," said Margaret Franklin, chair of the Virginia Railway Express Operations Board and a Prince William County supervisor. "We've had a challenge because of the pandemic, and so this is a way to hopefully bring in those riders who maybe haven't been here since before the pandemic but also new ridership."

While Virginia Railway Express will not require tickets to board during the fare-free initiative, riders will be counted on trains through an automatic counting system.

"That at least tells us from a loading perspective where people are getting on, where people are getting off, and we'll be able to actually look at that on a daily basis," said Dalton.

The estimated loss of revenue is $1.2 million and $2.3 million, depending on ridership. VRE plans to apply for a Department of Rail and Public Transportation program to lost fare revenue due to the Metro shutdown and use federal CARES Act funds to cover the lost revenue.

The fall Metro shutdown includes two components. From Sept. 10 to Oct. 22, Blue and Yellow Line stations south of Reagan National Airport will be closed as Metro prepares a cutover of tracks to the new Potomac Yard Metro station. Closures will include the Braddock Road, King Street-Old Town, Van Dorn Street, Franconia-Springfield, Eisenhower Avenue and Huntington stations.

In addition, Yellow Line service will be shut down between Pentagon and L’Enfant Plaza stations starting Sept. 10 to May 2023. After the Potomac Yard cutover work concludes, closed stations will reopen on Oct. 23 but will be served only by the Blue and Green Lines. The shutdown between Pentagon and L’Enfant Plaza is due to rehabilitation of the Yellow Line bridge and tunnel.

RELATED: Travel Alternatives Announced For Metro Shutdowns In Alexandria