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Still not a member of VRE’s Train Talk news service? Why not? It only takes a couple of minutes to join.

To register, visit us here (https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/VAVRE/subscriber/new). The program takes you through a series of steps so that you can customize your account and only receive alerts that are important to you. Once registration is complete, you will receive the latest information on schedule changes, service disruptions, seat notices and other news via email and phone.

There are two types of Train Talk messages: urgent service-related messages and newsletter-type information. The service messages can be sent so that you can receive longer messages through email or shorter versions on your cell phone. The newsletter is only sent in a long format.

When editing your account information, make sure you also tell the program which email address or phone number should receive the message and when. In the previous step, you created your contact information, but now, we need to know which one should get which messages.

Finally, the preference page allows you to choose some other important features. Would you like to know when an elevator is out of service? Choose the appropriate email address under the elevator notification.

Still confused? Feel free to contact VRE for assistance with signing on or troubleshooting at (703) 684-1001.

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, step right up and witness the final bow to what was once the greatest ride on Earth! The Circus Train! Not only have railroads proven well-suited for commuters and freight, but for over 140 years they have also been known to ease the transportation of massive animals and heavy equipment often for your entertainment. In fact, during the late 1800s, the term “railroad show” was synonymous with large circuses and carnivals. One of the largest and best known users of trains was the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus (RBBX).

During the 1820s, there were approximately 30 animal circuses touring the eastern United States. These shows traveled nightly by wagon through muddied country roads. By 1872 the P.T. Barnum Circus had grown so large that they decided to only play at large venues, and to travel by train. They developed a system of ropes, pulleys, inclined planes and crossover plates between cars that, first used in 1872, was continued through more modern methods by the RBBX up until its retirement this year.

The RBBX circus trains were more than one mile in length and consisted of 60 railroad cars, which is the equivalent of 120 trucks. The trains consisted of stock cars for exotic animals, flat cars for heavy equipment, and coaches to the rear. No space went underutilized.

Stock cars were 72 feet long and of two basic types. One was designed for the horses and ring stock, and the other for the elephants, or “bulls.” The cars designated for bulls were about a foot taller than the others, with solid sides and small windows for ventilation near the top. The bulls were usually positioned in three pairs at each end of the car and another elephant could be loaded at the center. Thus, each bull car could carry 12 or 13 adult elephants. Stock cars were usually coupled directly behind the locomotive to help minimize jolting the animals, and were then followed in the consist by the flat cars which were the heaviest due to rides, wagons and other equipment. Finally, the passenger coaches brought up the rear of the train.

The circus had a very strict employee caste system that was apparent in the sleeping assignments onboard. Featured performers and key personnel were often assigned a stateroom or even a half or third of a car. Some of the larger shows had a private coach for the owner or star performer. Most of the circus coaches were filled top to bottom with bunks, and an individual’s assignment in the circus and length of employment dictated the assigned bunk. For example, a newcomer might be assigned a top bunk, while working men might be assigned two to a bunk. These cars were not air conditioned and many a circus worker chose to sleep on an open flat, beneath the wagons, on a hot summer night.

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circuses traveled in two trains, the blue unit and the red unit, following an alternating two-year schedule to bring a new show to each location once a year. Up to their retirement, between 250 and 300 performers and other circus workers traveled on each of the two trains for more than 40 weeks each year. The Red train made its final run on May 7th this year, transporting its last show to Rhode Island. The Blue train followed suit two weeks later, on May 21st, with its final show in New York.

Although the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus no longer performs, other circuses still take advantage of the railroad for transportation. From circuses to lumber to coal and to people, America’s railroads have played a vital role in building, connecting, and even entertaining the country. Among all opportunities made possible by the railroad, who knows what could be next?

The next time you’re out walking, pay attention to what you are walking on. You just might notice that the ground isn’t exactly clean, with the mud, grass, wet leaves, gum, glass, and general yuck.

Stuff sticks to the bottom of your shoes and you track it around with you all day long. Shoes are filthy, and no one really wants to sit in anything dirty. So be respectful. Please, keep your feet off the seats and off the walls. They should be firmly placed on the floor in front of you. And please don't take off your shoes and place your bare or stockinged feet on the seat or walls. Do this at home, not on public transportation. Thank you for your consideration.

One of the biggest obstacles to getting people to take public transit regularly is working around their fear that they might someday be “stranded” should an emergency come up. What if, for example, you unexpectedly had to work past your normal quitting time, and you’ll miss the last train. Or, a child falls ill at home and you need to get home moments after you arrived at work…when there aren’t any trains running in the direction you need.

It’s a stressful situation, and VRE understand that sometimes people really need to travel during off-peak hours, no matter that the train schedule says. Thanks to a regional, cooperative effort called the “Guaranteed Ride Home” (GRH) program, there is indeed a “safety net” in place that will guarantee you a ride home in the case of family illness, unscheduled overtime or an unusual emergency.

The program is free and available to all VRE passengers. The ride is paid for in full by GRH up-front, with no reimbursement by the commuter necessary. For those passengers living more than 40 miles away, a cab or rental car may be made available, but the mode of transportation to get you home is ultimately up to the GRH customer service representative. 

There are a few things to keep in mind when using GRH: 

1) To qualify for the GRH program, you must be pre-registered with the Council of Government (COG). (Unregistered commuters can use GRH one time, but you must then register before you are eligible to use GRH again.) You will be asked to state your normal work hours (i.e., 9-5, 7:30-4:30, etc.) on the registration form mailed to you, call 1-800-745-Ride. 

2) The GRH program does not cover gratuities paid to cab drivers. 

3) To qualify for an emergency ride due to unscheduled overtime, your supervisor must be available to confirm authorized overtime. 

4) As soon as you know that you will have unscheduled call Commuter Connections at 1-800-745-RIDE to schedule your ride. Please call as early as possible. (You can call any time before, but no later than, your normally scheduled quitting time. Additionally, the operator will need to speak to your supervisor to confirm authorized overtime.) 

5) The program operates from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on weekdays. It generally will not run in severe weather or on holidays. 

For more information, please call 1-800-745-RIDE.

Whether you’re an archetypal A-type or a Zen master, there are times when just about all of us have wanted to shave a few minutes off our commutes. Unfortunately, an increasing number of VRE’s passengers have chosen one of the most dangerous and ill-advised methods out there: crossing railroad tracks at a place where there is no crosswalk, or dashing across the tracks even when the signal lights are flashing and the horizontal warning bar has lowered.

The problem is particularly worrisome at our Quantico, Burke, Manassas and Fredericksburg stations. At Burke Centre, people using the parking garage on the north side of the tracks cut across to access the shopping center located on the southside of the tracks, and then cross again to get back to their vehicles. They’re crossing at a very sharp curve in the track with zero sight warnings of an approaching train, and because there’s not road crossing there either, there’s no whistle warning.

It’s an extremely dangerous situation, and it’s illegal too—in the Commonwealth of Virginia, it is illegal to cross a railroad track outside of a marked crosswalk. Doing so is considered trespassing and puts you at risk of citation or, of course, worse.

Track improvements allow track speeds to increase, so approaching trains move at an extremely fast pace. People may feel inclined to walk around the end of a stopped train, not realizing a second train is approaching. Or, they’ll see one train pass and start to cross, oblivious to a second approaching train because they’re so focused on the one they see right in front of them, which has lead to tragedy.

When people walk with lowered heads, headphones jammed into their ears, or are focused on a cell phone conversation, situational awareness is lost. Never ignore or go around flashing red lights and a horizontal gate. Never cross a railroad track anywhere but a crosswalk. Always look and listen if you want to live.

Life’s busy. Trains can be crowded. People lose stuff. The news is full of scary headlines. It’s enough to make you want to bury your head in a pillow sometimes. But before you do that, keep in mind that paying attention to the environment around you—and helping serve as VRE’s eyes and ears—could make an enormous difference.

Thankfully, the day-to-day reasons for staying alert are fairly innocuous, but they could easily make you a hero. Noticing that someone left behind their memory stick may have saved their big presentation; returning a misplaced ticket or keyring surely saves its holder a lot of aggravation; and keeping on top of how the trains are operating goes a long way in helping VRE staff correct minor issues.

We can’t be everywhere all the time, so it’s always helpful having our passengers keep us posted every time they discover a problem. If a door sticks, if the heater is acting cranky, or if a bathroom needs servicing, we want to know about it so that we can fix it as soon as possible.

Of course, the other major reason to pay attention is for security reasons, particularly since transit systems have become a terrorist target. Trains in particular can be at risk, since they have no gates and checkpoints as airports do.

The first line of defense lies with the people who ride the train every day. VRE passengers know each other, and as people become familiar with regular passengers, they become familiar with that is typically carried on board. When a familiar face brings something different on board, that’s rarely cause of concern. But, when a strange face boards, it’s important to pay particular attention to them and what they’re bringing on to the train. We rely on the fact that the same people are on the same trains every day, for weeks, months, and years. Terrorists won’t ride hundreds of times merely to conduct surveillance, so it makes sense for the regulars to scrutinize the few people who are new and different until they, too, become regulars. It takes a village.

Another important step is to watch unusual packages to make sure they’re carried off by the same person who carried them on. If you ever see a package left behind by someone you know brought it onboard, bring it to their attention. If they say it isn’t theirs even though you know they brought it on, immediately contact a conductor and explain the situation fully so that the appropriate action is taken. At the stations, be alert for suspicious vehicles idling adjacent to station entrances and stairways.

And at any time, if something doesn’t “sit right,” passengers are urged to summon a conductor so that they can further investigate the situation. In the absence of a crew member, call 911 (calling VRE’s headquarters in Alexandria is the last thing you should do, because it won’t elicit an immediate emergency response like calling 911 or notifying a conductor would).

Collectively, we have an immense intelligence system. Together, we can work to safeguard our rail lines.

Alexandria Union Station

Alexandria VRE Executive Offices

Backlick Road

Burke Centre

Fredericksburg

Manassas Station

Quantico Station

VRE: A Civil War Perspective - Infographic

Washington D.C. Union Station