VRE ridership declines in wake of coronavirus, schedule changes announced

Commuters should take note of some upcoming changes in the modes of transportation that get them to and from work.

Virginia Railway Express tells us that an increasing number of area businesses and government agencies are encouraging or mandating telework for its employees to help contain the spread of the Chinese coronavirus.

In light of this, VRE ridership has dropped to a level warranting a reduction in service.

VRE will run a “S” schedule on each of its two lines, Fredericksburg and Manassas, beginning Tuesday, March 17. The number of trains in service will go from 16 to eight – four inbound each morning and four outbound each afternoon, a VRE spokeswoman said.

The change to VRE’s train schedules will remain in effect indefinitely. The rail service’s management will continue to monitor the situation and adjust schedules as circumstances dictate.

Updated train schedules are available on VRE’s website.

OmniRide bus service in Prince William county continues as usual. The system says it will continue to evaluate the number of people riding the buses.

OmniRide also announced changes concerning Quantico Marine Corps Base. Since January, OmniRide buses have been banned from entering the Marine Corps installation, to serve the tiny Town of Quantico.

Since then, some Quantico residents have been using taxicabs to get to the nearest OmniRide bus stop in Triangle, three-and-a-half miles away.

As of Monday, all Federal Government offices remained open while telework was encouraged.