VRE goes fare-free on Fridays during Summer 2023

Virginia Railway Express will give free rides on its trains Fridays this summer.

The commuter rail service charges as much as $12.15 one-way on the Fredericksburg line and $10 one-way on the Manassas line. Free-Friday fares will begin Friday, June 2, 2023, and last through September 1, 2023.

Free Fridays would cost the system about $300,000 in fare revenue, VRE estimate. The operations board meets at 9 a.m. Friday, May 18, 2023, at the OmniRide Transit Center, 14700 Potomac Mills Road in Woodbridge.

Virginia Railway Express is scrambling to get riders back on its trains after the pandemic. The average daily ridership has plummeted to about 6,200 — a third of what it was in February 2020.

To promote the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) as a travel option for both commuters and day-trippers, the rail service will offer fare-free rides on its trains each Friday from June 2 to September 1. Fare-free travel will be available to passengers on both the Fredericksburg and Manassas lines for rides originating at any of VRE’s 19 stations. Tickets will not be required.

VRE ridership is historically lower during the summer and on Fridays year-round, so the rail service can accommodate additional passengers, including larger groups looking to spend a day in the nation’s capital, or National Landing or Old Town Alexandria in Virginia.

VRE runs 32 trains each weekday, generally north in the morning and south in the afternoon and evening. It is the nation’s 13th largest commuter rail service, connecting Central and Northern Virginia with the District of Columbia. VRE is recognized for its provision of safe, reliable, convenient, and comfortable transportation. Additional information is available at vre.org.