VRE AT WORK PREPARING VIRGINIA RAILROADING FOR ITS NEXT QUARTER - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

VRE AT WORK PREPARING VIRGINIA RAILROADING FOR ITS NEXT QUARTER CENTURY T. R. (“Tom”) Hickey Chief Development Officer VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS April 4, 2017 VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 1 1

TONIGHT’S PRESENTATION  Introduction ‒ Safety Briefing ‒ VRE Overview  VRE at Work ‒ System Plan 2040 ‒ Regional Rail ‒ Potomac Crossing (the “8-Mile Bridge”) ‒ Other Corridor Improvements VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 2

WHO WE ARE A commuter rail system Running on CSXT, NS & Amtrak tracks Serving Washington DC and Northern Virginia Carrying long-distance commuters to DC, Arlington & Alexandria Two lines, 90 miles Adding peak capacity to I-95, I-395 & I-66 corridors 19,000 daily trips Commuters that would otherwise drive alone in cars VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 3

WHAT WE ARE  Virginia Railway Express is a “joint project” of: ‒ Northern Virginia Transportation Commission ‒ Potomac & Rappahannock Transportation Commission VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 4

WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR Safe Operations High Customer Satisfaction Quality Service Reliable Service Strong Partnerships with Host Railroads VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 5

WHAT WE DO  L’Enfant busiest station – Primary destination – Nearby offices – Metro connections  Crystal City, Union Station & Alexandria – Next three busiest destinations  Busiest origin stations are Origin Ridership Destination Ridership at the end of lines – Big park-ride lots • Most VRE passengers have a car available! VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 6

On a typical weekday VRE draws ridership from 39 Virginia Jurisdictions Winchester Washington DC Alexandria Manassas * Fredericksburg Charlottesville Richmond VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 7 * Source: 2015 Master Agreement Survey

Peak Hour Trips from Virginia to DC across the 14 th Street Bridges (6:30 to 7:30 AM) OTHER 1% 11% VRE 13% BUS AUTOMOBILE METRORAIL 58% 58% 17% 21,934 TOTAL TRIPS VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS Source: Transportation Planning Board 2013 Central Employment Core Cordon Count 8

HOW WE OPERATE  VRE operates on tracks owned and controlled by our three host railroads: – CSX Transportation – Norfolk Southern Railway – National Railroad Passenger Corporation ( Amtrak ) VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 9

VRE OPERATIONS  VRE communications center in Old Town Alexandria – Coordinate station, train, and crew activities – Control customer service announcements and variable message signs – Monitor station safety and security VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 10

VRE ROLLING STOCK  20 MP36PH-3C locomotives – 3600 hp prime mover – Head-end power equipped – 90 mph top speed – Purchase in 2010-2011  91 gallery-style bi-level push-pull railcars – 21 cab cars – 70 trailer cars – 9 more trailer cars on order  2 maintenance & storage yards – Crossroads (Spotsylvania) – Broad Run (Manassas)  Midday storage in DC VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 11

REGIONAL COLLABORATION WMATA Metrorail Used by about 17% of VRE riders Transfers extend the reach of rail Amtrak Virginia Trains Step-up fares available Faster ride for longer commutes MTA/MARC Train Service Fare Integration Exploring Opportunities for Through Running VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 12

VRE SYSTEM PLAN 2040 A 25-year plan to double VRE ridership  A phased approach to growth – Identifies short-term and long-term priorities – Identifies projects, initiatives, funding, partners – Transition from commuter rail to regional express rail VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 13

VRE SYSTEM PLAN 2040 Adding rail capacity to grow to 50,000+ daily riders PHASE 1: Run Longer Trains  More railcars  More station parking  More train storage tracks  Second & longer platforms PHASE 2 & 3: Run More Trains Earn additional train slots through capacity improvements  Third/fourth tracks on CSXT  Long Bridge Corridor Expansion (“8-mile Bridge)  More parking, railcars  Manassas Line Capacity Expansion ‒ Was Gainesville-Haymarket VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 14

LONGER TRAINS = LONGER PLATFORMS, MORE AUTO PARKING …AND MORE ‘PARKING’ FOR LONGER TRAINS, TOO VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 15

REGIONAL RAIL VS. COMMUTER RAIL  Service concept based on Paris’ Réseau Express Régional – "Regional Express Network" or "RER" – Integration of rapid transit operating principles into a commuter rail environment • Bi-directional, all day service • Less frequent but faster than journeys than by Metro – Five Parisian commuter rail lines converted since 1977 VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 16

REGIONAL RAIL VS. COMMUTER RAIL  A shift in VRE’s operating model to more frequent, two-way, all-day service – A mix of non-stop express and local peak train services – Reverse-peak train service • Linking DC residents with Northern Virginia job markets – Midday & evening train service  North American examples – SEPTA (Philadelphia) – GO Transit (Toronto) – NJ Transit (New York City) – MTA (New York City) – MBTA (Boston) – Caltrain (San Francisco) VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 17

VRE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN Six-Year Roadmap for Investment (FY2018- FY2023)  Asset Management/SOGR 8 projects – $73 million  Passenger Stations 19 projects – $317 million  Station Parking 5 projects – $108 million  Track & Signal Infrastructure 2 projects – $28 million Total Six-Year Program: $1.7 billion  Maintenance/Storage Facilities including capital reserve, rolling stock, asset 7 projects – $194 million management & state-of-good-repair projects  Other Projects 2 projects – $1.1 billion • Long Bridge & WPW Co. Extension VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 18

OUR PROJECT APPROACH VRE improves the RF&P corridor through strategic partnerships  Pursue a collaborative approach to corridor/project management ‒ Corridor Improvement Task Force • VRE, CSXT & VaDRPT  A “VRE” improvement project may be led by: ‒ VRE ‒ VaDRPT ‒ CSX Transportation ‒ DC Department of Transportation ‒ A jurisdiction or private developer …or any combination thereof VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 19

OUR FUNDING APPROACH VRE is a grant funded agency  VRE capital projects presently funded in whole or in part by: ‒ Federal agencies • Federal Transit Administration (FTA) • Federal Highway Administration (FHwA) ‒ State agencies • Virginia Department of Rail & Public Transportation • Virginia Department of Transportation ‒ Regional agencies • Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) ‒ VRE Capital Reserve • For “last dollar” matches • Limited to planning or “system” projects VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 20

RF&P CORRIDOR RECONFIGURATION Platform-track configuration are key to operational fluidity Diverging moves rob a corridor of velocity and capacity. Trains must slow for crossing moves. Crossing moves block multiple tracks. All RF&P Corridor stations south of AF are being reconfigured into side/island combinations All tracks have access to a station platform. Dispatchers have the flexibility to use any track in the corridor. Fluidity is not lost in diverging moves between tracks. VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 21 21

RF&P CORRIDOR RECONFIGURATION Six RF&P stations being converted to side-island configuration. Franconia-Springfield ● Lorton ● Rippon ● Quantico ● Brooke ● Leeland Road …plus Potomac Shores VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 22 22

LONG BRIDGE EXPANSION PROJECT VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 23 23

LONG BRIDGE EXPANSION PROJECT Strategic transportation asset for the Eastern Seaboard Links the North and the South Next crossing 75 miles away in WV Owned by CSX Transportation Shared by passenger & freight Amtrak Typical Weekday Traffic Intercity Passenger 32% 18 CSXT Freight trains CSXT Freight 34 VRE Commuter trains 24% VRE 24 Amtrak trains Commuter Passenger 45% VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 24 24

LONG BRIDGE EXPANSION PROJECT L’Enfant LE VA CSX Transportation Amtrak Passenger Station RO Interlockings Long Bridge Other Bridges VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 25 25

POTOMAC CROSSING CORE CAPACITY PROGRAM CSXT RF&P SUBDIVISION Virginia (VA) to AF TOTAL LENGTH: 7.9 miles The “Eight-Mile Bridge” RAILROAD OWNERSHIP CSX Transportation AMTRAK (WTC) Norfolk Southern Passenger Stations Controlled Points VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 26 26

POTOMAC CROSSING CORE CAPACITY PROGRAM C O R R I D O R G O A L S  Optimize the physical plant to minimize freight-passenger train conflicts (“fluidity”)  Provide redundancy to maintain reliability during maintenance or disrupted conditions  Provide for an equitably balance between public-private investment in improvements  Protect all party’s interests regarding access, operability, and continuing control VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS 27 27