Politics & Government
VRE's CEO Will Resign In June
Dale Zehner oversaw the Virginia Railway Express since 2003 and focused on improving customer service for the commuter rail service that runs from Fredericksburg to D.C.
When Dale Zehner took over the Virginia Railway Express, he immediately put an emphasis on customer service. His slogan, "One Vision, One Voice," became the mantra of the commuter rail service and ridership has exploded since then.
Virginia Railway Express Operations Board Chairman Wally Covington announced Wednesday that Zehner has resigned effective June 30. Zehner joined VRE as the manager of budget and finance in May 1995 and he climbed the ranks all the way to the top as VRE's first chief executive officer in 2004.
“Mr. Zehner was deeply committed to achieving excellence in our daily operation while also maintaining the concept that we should not sacrifice first-rate service for our customers,” Covington said in a prepared statement. “I am proud to have served on the Board while Mr. Zehner was our CEO because he brought integrity and distinction to our entire operation.”
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Under Zehner's leadership, VRE went from an average of 9,800 daily trips in 2002 to more than 4.75 million passenger trips last year, which is an average daily ridership of more than 19,000. Ridership grew by 94 percent and on-time performance improved to its highest marks ever.
For more than a decade, one of VRE's goals was to get Spotsylvania County to jointo share the costs of providing the service to more than 800 county residents. That battle finally ended in 2009 when the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors voted to join after a controversial process and lengthy debates.
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Fredericksburg is one of the original members of VRE.
Zehner also convinced the VRE board to purchase new rail cars and locomotives.
“In these rough economic times, the VRE Operations Board and management team have brought stability and credibility to VRE by making every dollar count, delivering on a promise to complete capital projects on time and under budget, and refusing to settle for anything less than world class service for our riders,” Zehner said in a prepared statement.
Are you a VRE rider who has a story to tell about the customer service? Email me at dan.telvock@patch.com with your comments about VRE.
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