The new budget for the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) includes plans for a fare hike and an expansion of service.
Starting July 1, fares will go up by 5%, which — for the longest trips in the system — would cost about 50 cents more. However, anyone under 18 will be able to ride for free. Currently, only kids age 10 and younger may ride for free when traveling with a paying adult.
The railway said the changes are designed to get riders back on the system and cover increases in costs of labor, trains and parts due to inflation.
The approved budget also cleared the way for Saturday service. The railway shares the tracks with CSX, Norfolk Southern and Amtrak, so they’ll have to agree on schedules for when Saturday service could start.
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Similar to many other public transportation services, VRE said ridership has not fully recovered since the pandemic. This will be the first fare increase on the railway since 2020. Go here to see current VRE fare costs.
Metro has proposed similar fare hikes as a way to close a large budget gap.
