VRE to go fare-free in September amid Metro Blue and Yellow Line shutdown

Rides on the Virginia Rail Express will be free for the month of September.

The VRE Operations Board on Friday announced that fares would be suspended in reaction to the shutdown of Metro’s Blue and Yellow lines south of Reagan National Airport, which is scheduled to begin Sept. 10 and is expected to last six weeks.

VRE fares will be free systemwide in September, and for travel between the six VRE stations most affected by the Metro shutdown — Backlick Road on the Manassas Line, Franconia-Springfield on the Fredericksburg Line, and Alexandria, Crystal City, L’Enfant, and Union Station on both lines — for October.

“VRE will be a major contributor to mitigation efforts in the region during the first part of the Metrorail shutdown, which is expected to last six weeks,” VRE CEO Rich Dalton said in a statement.

“A fare-free September is also VRE’s way of saying thanks to those passengers who have stuck with us through the pandemic,” said VRE Operations Board Chair Margaret Franklin, “and it’s a wonderful way to celebrate VRE’s 30th anniversary.”