On November 16th VRE opened a new station in Spotsylvania County approximately 6 miles south of the City of Fredericksburg (near the intersection of Rt. 17 and Crossroads Parkway). VRE projects ridership to reach about 1,200 within the first six months of operation, providing needed relief to the I-95 corridor. The station has parking for 1,500 vehicles, is ADA accessible and includes ticket vending machines. As of November 30th, VRE added an additional route to the Fredericksburg line and now runs eight trains each way daily.
“Our Fredericksburg Line riders have been requesting more commuter rail service for a long time and we’re pleased to deliver greater flexibility and travel choices in the I-95 corridor. The opening of our new station in Spotsylvania County and near completion of a third railroad track between our Crossroads Yard facility and Mine Road have allowed us to provide the new train,” said Doug Allen, VRE Chief Executive Officer. VRE provides about 20,000 daily rides and the additional train will add about 780 potential seats each way. Within the first month, VRE’s data indicates an average of about 550 trips at the new Spotsylvania station.
The opening of the Spotsylvania station represents the first new station opened by VRE since the Lorton and Franconia/Springfield stations, which were opened 20 years ago. VRE has recently undertaken a study to extend the Manassas line another 11 miles by opening stations in Gainesville and Haymarket.