Nightmare Commute: VRE Explains Bad Day on Tracks

It was a perfect storm of commuting snafus Thursday for VRE passengers heading between Fredericksburg and D.C. in the morning and heading to both Manassas and Fredericksburg for the commute home Thursday afternoon.

VRE sent a message to riders Thursday afternoon that explained the many issues.

In Fredericksburg, an Amtrak train was stopped Thursday morning and emptied at the station due to a suspicious package. The passenger involved was removed from the train, questioned and eventually released.

More: Amtrak Train Unloaded in Fredericksburg Due to Suspicious Luggage

Due to the investigation, the 7:40 a.m. train was cancelled and eventually sent north empty to service passengers for the ride home. At 11:50 a.m., the empty train was traveling north through a CSX work zone just south of the L’Enfant Station when it hit a dump truck too close to the tracks, according to VRE.

Two coaches on the train were damaged, forcing VRE to cancel the train that normally heads back to Fredericksburg at 6 p.m.

While the damaged train and dump truck were on one track, it slowed other trains through the area for most of the afternoon.

“To complicate matters, there was a VIP movement on the surface roads near L’Enfant which forced us to hold in place for additional time,” according to VRE.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience as we worked this incident and apologize for the inconveniences the delays may have caused,” VRE said in a statement. “We would also like to thank our partners at Keolis, Amtrak, CSX, and Norfolk Southern who all assisted in getting our service restored.”

Follow the VRE on Twitter for regular updates on track issues.