WASHINGTON — Virginia Railway Express is making changes to schedules on both lines Monday as the commuter rail service adds a new train to the Fredericksburg Line.
The new train is being added following the opening of the new Spotsylvania Station Nov. 16.
The new schedule for the Fredericksburg Line still begins with the first train out of Spotsylvania and Fredericksburg at 4:57 a.m. and 5:05 a.m. respectively, but now includes six trains departing Spotsylvania before 6:30 a.m. instead of 5 a.m.
In the afternoon, the first southbound departure from Union Station will remain at 12:55 p.m., but the next trains will now leave at 3:10 and 3:25 rather than a sole train at 3:35 p.m. The remainder of the Fredericksburg Line afternoon departure times remain the same, with the final train leaving Union Station each day at 6:40 p.m.
Because of the schedule overhaul, Fredericksburg Regional Transit is revising its feeder service schedules too. However the transit service says it may not be able to provide the same level of service that it has before.
“FRED staff will make every effort to adjust our schedules so that we can continue to provide service to majority of the VRE trains. However, our initial review of the revised VRE schedules indicate that we may not be able to provide the same level of service as we do now,” the agency said Monday in a message to riders.
The schedule changes also impact Manassas Line riders, in part because the two lines come together in Alexandria.
The second train of the morning from Broad Run, Train 324 will now leave at 5:35 a.m. instead of 5:45 a.m. Train 328 will leave Broad Run five minutes earlier at 6:35 a.m., and Train 332 will leave two minutes earlier at 7:48 a.m.
The schedule changes also include changes to arrival times at Crystal City, L’Enfant Plaza and Union Station. For example, the first train of the morning will still depart Broad Run at 5:05 a.m., but it is scheduled to arrive 6 minutes later than the current schedule, at 6:24 a.m.
Trains back to Broad Run in the afternoon maintain the same departure times from Union Station, however most are now scheduled to arrive at Broad Run a few minutes later than under the current timetable.
See the new train schedules below or click on a schedule to see a larger version.
