Virginia Railway Express passengers can continue to ride free between six of the system’s stations until work wraps up on Metro’s Blue Line — with fares reduced once it’s brought back.
The mass transit provider voted Friday to extend a fare-free travel initiative between six of its northernmost stations until the Blue Line’s reopening — expected Nov. 5.
That means riders starting and ending their ride within VRE fare zones one (Union Station and L’Enfant), two (Crystal City and Alexandria) and three (Franconia-Springfield and Backlick Road) can enjoy a couple more weeks of free travel.
“We’ve found that the fare-free travel initiative we started back in September has been very successful,” said VRE spokeswoman Karen Finucan Clarkson.
“A few weeks back, when Metro had to extend work on the Blue Line, we started hearing from a number of passengers asking us, ‘is there any way possible to keep this initiative going?’ We thought about it, and approached our board about it,” added Finucan Clarkson.
Due to the ongoing Yellow Line shutdown, fares within zones one, two and three will be reduced until work concludes on that line by next summer.
Single-ride tickets within the three zones will cost $5, and a day pass will cost $10 once fares are reintroduced in November. Ten-trip tickets and seven-day passes will also see price reductions.
Discounts can be obtained through the VRE Mobile app.
WTOP’s Kristi King contributed to this report.
