FAQs

Crews are only required to place step boxes down at Alexandria and Union Station because they have low platforms. If you need a step box at any other station, please notify a crew member (there is supposed to be a crew member at each end of the train), and they will provide one for you. If they do not please let us know and we can follow up with that crew.  

If you were using a mobile ticket, a receipt of that ticket should be automatically issued to your email address that you used to sign up for VRE mobile. 

Riders are not allowed to place bags in unoccupied seats. We will notify crews so that they can be on the lookout for this issue. 

Beginning July 1, 2024, anyone 18 and under can ride for free. 

We recommend that you board the train at the northernmost car. There will be a crew member there who can assist you if you need assistance. They can also locate a seat for you if needed. Each car has an accessibility lift if needed and each car has priority seating for those in need of a seat. 

Trains are not allowed to leave early (unless indicated by an “L” at certain stations. Official railroad time is synchronized with Naval Observatory time (time.gov) and not all watches or cell phones, or even our validation stamps for our ticket machines are properly synchronized to this time, but the watches our conductors and engineers use are. You may wish to check to see if your watch or phone is synched to this time. 

You have several options to receive a re-issued monthly from VRE. First, we will need to see your Proof of Purchase, and if you want to continue using Commuter Direct you will have to sign up for guaranteed delivery. We would need to see that receipt for that as well. Another option would require you to sign up on our Mobile app. Once signed up we can reissue your Monthly ticket immediately to your phone. 

 Anyone sitting in the stairwell becomes an immediate tripping hazard to anyone needing to go down the stairs. Because of this we consider sitting in the stairwell to be a safety hazard and passengers are not allowed to do so. 

Certainly, we understand that not all riders like to stand on the train, however, as we are a public transportation service we cannot predict or control how many riders choose to ride a particular train at a particular time on a particular day. As a result, our trains are designed for standees, and standing on the train is not considered a safety hazard. 

We are always happy to receive positive comments about our crews and we are glad to see them taking that extra effort to help our passengers. 

We will make sure that your comments are forwarded on to your crew’s supervisors so that they can know of your appreciation. 

Our car’s thermostats are set between 70-74 degrees, so we can have our mechanical crews check individual cars to make sure they are set to that level.  

Keep in mind that the blowers in the upper level cannot be adjusted and they are there to circulate fresh air. If you are sitting upstairs and are cold you may wish to sit downstairs where the blowing is less pronounced.  

You can exchange the value of those tickets towards the value of new tickets.

Our Ticket Exchange form is found online. Send this request along with your tickets to: 

Virginia Railway Express 

Attn: Ticket Exchange 

1500 King Street Suite #202 

Alexandria, VA 33214 

Or, you can come to our office in Alexandria if you need either transaction completed immediately. 

Our policy is to board passengers who are standing on the platform at the time of the train’s arrival into the station. 

Holding the train for those who are not on the platform when the train arrives only serves to delay those already onboard. Since we continue to receive negative feedback when a late train waits for latecomers, our conductors are put in the difficult position of not allowing riders to board after the train is ready for departure.  

Due to our ridership and the impact of other rail traffic on our service, our crews are now required to maintain their train's schedule whenever possible. Unfortunately, waiting for latecomers is no longer possible--no matter how slight the additional delay. 

If your ticket does not print you will usually not be charged. Your bank will show a pending transaction but it will drop off in a few days. If it does not drop off, we will need the full number of the credit card that was used to provide you with a refund. If you feel more comfortable providing us this information over the phone rather than in an email, please feel free to do that. You would need to contact our office at 703-684-1001.

Let us know which phone number you wish unsubscribed and we will be happy to do it for you. 

Senior Reduced Fares are available on mobile by entering a VRE issued Senior ID Number into the Mobile Application. To obtain a Senior ID Number and card VRE will require you to fill out the Senior Fare application along with proof of age. 

There are several ways for you to submit your application, which are listed below. Please keep in mind that you must submit a headshot.jpg in order to have your application processed. 

•Fax your application to (703) 684-1313

•Email your application

•Mail your application to our office: 

Virginia Railway Express 

Attn: Reduced Fare ID 

1500 King Street, Suite 202 

Alexandria, VA 22314 

The application can be found here. 

 Please fill out a Free Ride Certificate request form which is available on our website. Simply send us this form along with a copy/screenshot of the validated ticket or a copy of your monthly pass that you used and we will send you an FRC. You can mail it to us at: 

Virginia Railway Express 
ATTN: FRC 
1500 King Street, Suite 202 
Alexandria, VA 22314 

Or email us at [email protected]. 

We ask riders to only smoke at the northern most 100 feet of our platform.

At this time, we cannot add more trains to our service; all the operating slots available are already being utilized by either our trains or Amtrak trains. 

You can park at our stations for as long as you like for free. Just remember that parking is always at your own risk.

For delays under 20 min., since trains can make up time, check train status here.

We initially rely on our short messaging system (via stations screens and announcements) for any delay between 10 and 20 minutes in length (within this time period, most of the passengers are already at the station). The reason for this threshold is due to the fact that schedules have a certain amount of padding built into them that allows for a late train to make up time. The last thing we want to do is announce a 10-minute delay and have a passenger show up to the station 10 minutes late only to find that their train made up the time and left without them. 

Once a train's delay increases beyond 20 minutes, we then begin to issue Train Talk messages via email. This will always be the case unless we are aware of a possible disruption that we think will result in a delay of 20 or more minutes. 

Our policy is that if a passenger is found without a validated ticket, the conductor is required to issue that rider a citation. 

Certainly, we understand that your intention may not to have been to evade your fare, however, there are thousands riders on our trains and it is often difficult for conductors to determine who is fare evading and who genuinely made a mistake. Usually, once the citation is written, ones only recourse is to explain the situation to a judge in court. Our process allows a judge to adjudicate each case and let him determine who is innocent and who is guilty and the judges understand that sometimes riders are confused by the system. Virginia Law requires that riders must validate their tickets prior to boarding the train. Conductors perform random ticket checks and if a passenger is found without a validated ticket, the conductor is required to issue that rider a citation.  Our policy was designed to eliminate accusations of discrimination on the part of the Conductors by those who receive a summons. 

Unfortunately, old railroad ties are unable to be offered to the public because the type of chemicals (creosote) used to preserve them have carcinogenic properties. 

You may wish to contact landscaping companies, however, as they may have access to something similar that are non-toxic. 

Tickets are zone based, so you can travel in either direction as long as it is between the two zoned fares. 

If you fly to Reagan National airport, you will be able to catch our service by taking either the Yellow or Blue Line Metro from the airport to the King Street station (Alexandria). From the King Street Metro, simply detrain, walk one block around the corner and then catch one of our trains at Alexandria’s Union Station to your destination. Metro information can be found online at www.wmata.com.  You would have to buy separate tickets for Metro and VRE. Tickets are available for purchase with a credit cards at each station platform. 

Flying out of National airport: To fly out of Reagan National Airport, you can take one of our trains and detrain in Alexandria, walk next door to the Metro station and ride a Yellow or Blue line Metro train two stops directly to the airport. Metro information can be found online at www.wmata.com. VRE train schedules can be found here. 

All announcements should play in all cars and should be at a 72-decibel level. If you notice any issues, please let us know. 

Crews aren't always informed by the dispatcher as to why trains are given unfavorable signals. If you have questions why your train is late and crews aren't providing an answer, feel free to call our office or email and we will try to get a reason to you. 

We have no current plans to have Wifi on our trains due to lack of radio tower connectability along our service route. 

Information about Potomac Shores construction can be found by contacting the developer at potomacshores.com.

Saturday service is expected to begin fiscal year 2025, but we do not have a definite date when the service will begin. 

All of our trains have at least one restroom, which is located in the car at the opposite end of the train from the locomotive, although our goal is to have at least two bathrooms. We attempt to place bathrooms on board the train so that riders never have to walk more than 2 or 3 cars. Unfortunately, we cannot always guarantee where the exact placement of a car with a restroom will be since cars often get switched out for maintenance.

If you have trouble locating a rest room, please feel free to speak to a conductor or fellow passenger.

VRE trains are not equipped with cafe cars. However, VRE passengers are allowed to bring their own food and drink (non-alcoholic) aboard our trains to enjoy while they commute.

Most VRE trains are not equipped with power outlets. If you find an available outlet on the train, please use caution. Do not drape the cord across an available seat or across the aisle.

Literally, it means "special". These trains operate every VRE service day. However, they are the only trains that operate when VRE is on its "S" Schedule. "S" schedule days typically occur during times of inclement weather or around certain holidays. The decision to run an "S" schedule is typically made the evening prior, or very early in the morning, before service starts. Service updates are passed to our riders via Train Talk emails, website updates, and alerts to local media outlets.

VRE does not allow any sales of goods or services on its platforms.  

VRE does not currently accept the SmarTrip card as a form of payment for VRE tickets.

However, in conjunction with WMATA and the Commuter Stores of Arlington, we are able to accept electronic SmartBenefits through a special program. For more information visit the SmartBenefits FAQ page.

If you accidentally leave a personal item on a VRE train, please visit Lost Items page/ Lost tickets page, to complete our customer service form. The information you supply will help us quickly locate your item and return it to you if it is turned in.

If you do not have access to the web, please call us weekdays between 7am and 7pm at (703) 684-1001. We can personally make note of any details that will help us identify and return your lost item(s) if it is located.