VRE Fare Increase Wins Final Approval: Media Report

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The two commissions that oversee the Virginia Railway Express gave final approval last week to a 4 percent fare increase that goes into effect on July 1.

The commuter railroad’s operations board received the final go-ahead for the fare increase from the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, the Washington Post reported. The operations board approved the fare increase on April 17 at a meeting in Dale City.

For Fredericksburg Line riders, the fare hike will add $12.20 to a monthly pass from Fredericksburg to L’Enfant Plaza and Union stations, to $318.10; $4.10 to a 10-ticket pass, to $105.60; and 45 cents to a single ticket, to $11.55.

For Manassas Line riders, the cost of a single-ride ticket will rise to $9.50; a 10-trip ticket to $86.50 and a monthly ticket to $260.80, acording to VRE’s website.

The increased fares are expected to pump an extra $1.1 million into the VRE fiscal 2016 budget, according to media reports.

The railway says the fare increase will help cover higher operational costs, including a new station scheduled to open this summer in Spotsylvania County, south of Fredericksburg.