VRE's Fredericksburg Line is 20 Years Old

Virginia Railway Express is celebrating the 20th year in service for the Fredericksburg Line, which the commuter rail service calls the "Route of the Red Diamond."

The Fredericksburg line started in July 1992.

"It was a long and detailed process to re-establish regional commuter rail in the Northern Virginia area but a large group of dedicated people finally arranged the necessary funding to purchase rail equipment and secure operating agreements with what was the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, which has since been acquired by CSX," according to a press release from VRE.

When the Fredericksburg Line started in July 1992, VRE posted a daily total ridership of 3,000 people. Now, the VRE system averages 20,000 daily trips and it services more stations. Spotsylvania County is in the process of starting VRE service.

"We have a fleet of brand new locomotives and are working to finalize a complete fleet of new cars," the VRE press release states. "A big thanks goes to each and every one of you who have contributed to our twenty years of growth by being passengers. We've all seen a great deal of changes and we look forward to what the next 20 years brings to us."