WASHINGTON (Map, News) - More riders are hopping on Virginia Railway Express trains this summer just as the beleaguered system prepares to study why commuters have been staying away.

Ridership increased nearly 2 percent in June and 4 percent in July compared with last summer, spokesman Mark Roeber said, helping to offset concern that VRE was unable to meet ridership projections this year.

“We have had 15,200, 15,300 some days for ridership, which is very good for August,” Roeber said.

A dizzying array of problems last summer — including heat-related delays, bridge work and major rail tie replacements — left some riders disappointed.

This summer has seen increased ridership, however, due to increased schedule reliability, high gas prices and continued congestion on the roads, said Steve Dunham of the Virginia Association of Railway Patrons.

“VRE service this summer has not been nearly as bad as a year ago,” Dunham said. “When it is unreliable, it doesn’t compensate for traffic or gas prices.”

But last year’s decrease in daily ridership was not confined to the train line that experienced the most hassles, Roeber said.

At a meeting in June, VRE board members expressed concern that ridership was decreasing at a time when most commuter railways were seeing a marked upswing.

The board is now preparing for a study of the Northern Virginia market that goes beyond its annual ridership survey to examine what commuters want.

“What we’re really trying to do is establish a market analysis to better reflect the transitional nature of the rider today,” Roeber said.

With more federal workers telecommuting and altered workweeks, Roeber said, the research likely will find interest in more service beyond typical rush-hour times.

“People are wanting to stay into the mid-evening and on the VRE, there’s no train out of Washington after 7 p.m.,” Dunham said. “VRE is not positioned to accommodate the kind of flexibility people are turning toward.”

dgenz@dcexaminer.com