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Commuter rail line girds for $5.3M shortfall
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WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Rising fuel prices and insurance premiums again will lead Northern Virginia’s long-distance commuter rail line into a multimillion-dollar shortfall, according to budget forecasts for the next fiscal year.
Virginia Railway Express officials said the projected $5.3 million gap could be eliminated, however, should the state’s $400 million transportation funding package survive a legal challenge now before the state Supreme Court.
VRE would receive an annual infusion of $25 million from that package, which spokesman Mark Roeber calls “critical.” Among other needs, it will be necessary to pay down new debt for the planned Gainesville-Haymarket line. VRE hopes the expansion will greatly boost ridership figures beyond the 14,750 average daily passengers logged in November.
Faced with the uncertainty of the transportation bill’s survival in court, officials are preparing for a scenario in which that money would not come through. Without the money, a VRE task force is recommending increases in both fares and subsidies from Northern Virginia governments.
The state transportation funds would allow the agency to halt those subsidy increases, which have increased from $6.9 million to $8.8 million in fiscal 2007 to $13.3 million in the current fiscal year, which ends in June 2008, according to Roeber.
He said the $25 million “stabilizes the moneys that the local jurisdictions have to put up in order to support the railroad” and allows the agency to improve the few issues that raise its bottom line.
VRE must restore the insurance trust fund, per an agreement with the state, to a balance of $10 million.
The Virginia Supreme Court is expected to hear the transportation lawsuit in January. Opponents of the funding bill have raised constitutional challenges about how the taxes and fees are being imposed.
“The new regional funding is critical to ensure that VRE can continue building its ridership and improve upon its on-time performance,” said Bob Chase of the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance.
wflook@dcexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
12:27 PM MST on Tue., Aug. 28, 2007 re: "VRE ridership up; commuters likely to ask for later trains"
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3:56 PM MST on Sat., Aug. 18, 2007
re: "New VRE modifications may push price tag past $86M"
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3:49 PM MST on Sat., Aug. 18, 2007
re: "New VRE modifications may push price tag past $86M"
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3:40 PM MST on Sat., Aug. 18, 2007
re: "New VRE modifications may push price tag past $86M"
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5:12 AM MST on Wed., Aug. 15, 2007
re: "VRE ridership up; commuters likely to ask for later trains"
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6:06 AM MST on Thu., May. 3, 2007
re: "Fairfax would save $1.2M under VRE restructuring"
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Examiner Reader said:
I think that we need more funding of rail. The big cost to the state is more roads. Rail is a cheaper and greener alternative and a relaxing way to travel.
242 agree | 232 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Japan? JAPAN? WHAT?, Americans can`t figure out how to keep a wheelchair from rolling? I guess it`s our great public school educational system! VRE IS NUTS! CORRUPTION! SOMEBODY HAS TO BE STEALING! JAPAN???
237 agree | 230 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
$350,000 for seat belts and a door lock? Where are buying this stuff; form the same people who charged U.S. DOD $1,000,000 for TWO LOCK WASHERS? HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?
261 agree | 239 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
"cost-cutting measures"!?! What COST-CUTTING MEASURES? WHO'S RUNNING THE ZOO? ARE YOU GUYS INSANE? Usually when you CUT COSTS things COST "LESS" NOT "MORE"!!!! GOOD GRIEF!
241 agree | 243 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I used VRE, and I have stopped, by the time it got to the Rippon or Woodbridge station , they was no seats and I refused to stand, when people asked for longer trains the answer was the platform was not long enough, wrong answer!! many times I have had to walk back from the quiet car to exit the train so that no problem. the problem is it grew to fast too quick and they were not ready for the growth. So now I ride the bus I allways get a seat.
260 agree | 266 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Local Governments need to immediately initiate construction of high-density housing within walking distance of the VRE Stations. More vehicles would be taken off of the road and old commercial structures and outdated housing could be torn down and upgraded. It is time to bring Route One out of the 50's.
271 agree | 385 disagree
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