Business & Tech

Railway CEO: Train System Operating at 95 Percent for Past Week

CEO tells commuters that VRE is doing its best to provide quality services, in light of major delays on Manassas Line a week ago.

Virginia Railway Express officials and employees of Keolis Rail Services America, the VRE's operator, have said they are continuing to work through the issues surrounding the aging locomotive fleet that carries thousands of commuters to and from their destinations daily.

The railway express' CEO Dale Zehner wrote in a memo released late Wednesday that the Nov. 23 delays on the Manassas Line were caused my mechanical problems.

That day, diagnostic reports were reviewed by both companies, and it was discovered that the V22 locomotive experienced a ground relay fault. The vehicle was reset and managed to make its return trip without any problems, Zehner said. 

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"In addition, we inspected all of the mechanical connections on the two sets of equipment involved in the coupling of the two trains and found everything to be in good working order," he said.

Zehner added that he is focusing on providing quality service to VRE patrons.

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Officials said they have resolved to improve communication procedures through putting time requirements on notifications and conductor announcements.

There will also be clarifications made in protocols and the process for dispatching mechanical personnel, according to the memo.

Keolis has been operating the VRE since July 12, after it won a bid for the railway over Amtrak.

VRE's 30 trains transport more than 18 million passengers a year.

 




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