FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (WUSA9) -- Service on VRE's Fredericksburg line was modified after a pedestrian collision that caused two hour delays on Monday morning.
VRE officials say the Frederick line will run an "S" schedule this afternoon and evening. Only trains marked with an "S" will operate.
According to officials:
- VRE 301 will depart Union Station at 12:55 p.m.
- VRE 303 will depart Union Station at 3:35 p.m.
- VRE 307 will depart Union Station at 4:40 p.m.
- VRE 311 will depart Union Station at 6:00 p.m.
VRE also opened the Metro option for passengers on Fredericksburg line for Monday afternoon.
The Manassas line is operating on its normal schedule.
VRE's Bryan Jungwirth tells us that Train 300 struck a person just south of Leeland Road, north of Dalgreen Junction at 5:10 a.m. Monday. Two hundred fifty people were on the train at the time.
Virginia State Police are investigating. A spokesperson sent the following statement:
At 5:20 a.m. Monday, Virginia State Police responded to a fatal crash in Stafford County. A northbound Virginia Railway Express (VRE) train struck and killed a pedestrian on the tracks. The incident is under investigation at this time.
The striking train pulled as far as Leeland Road, where passengers got off to board another train on the far track to head northbound, said VRE officials.
Monday afternoon, VRE officials released a statement with additional details and an apology to its customers:
"We apologize for any inconvenience experienced this morning and would like to take this opportunity to explain what happened.
Shortly after departing the Fredericksburg Station, VRE Train 300 (Departs Fredericksburg at 5:05 am) struck and killed a pedestrian. The incident, along with the follow-up investigation closed both tracks, delaying all Fredericksburg line trains. Because incidents of this nature typically close the tracks for 2+ hours, we issued a Train Talk letting passengers know of the expected delay and asked them to consider another alternative for their morning commute.
It became clear based on the number of cars remaining in the parking lots that many of our passenger took the advice and found another way to work. We then opted to send only four trains north, and operate on an "S" schedule this afternoon.
The Metro option was opened so passengers who could get to a Metro station would be able to utilize metro to their final destination. The Metro option will also be available this afternoon for the trip home for those who need to get back to their cars.
The passengers who were on VRE Train 300 were dropped off at the Leeland Road station and then transferred to the first northbound train. Passengers who were on Train 302 (Departs Fredericksburg at 5:15 am) were taken back to the Fredericksburg station and then transferred over to the next northbound train. Fredericksburg Regional Transit assisted by sending 6 of their FRED buses to Leeland Road to take passengers back to their cars at Fredericksburg.
Again, we apologize for the delays that were experienced this morning and understand many people are not happy with the situation. Please know we will continue to work with our host railroads and first responders to minimize the effects of future incidents.
To receive real-time updates please subscribe to our Train Talk emails and text messages, follow us on Twitter (@VaRailXpress), check our Facebook page, or www.vre.org.
Reminder: The Fredericksburg line train will operate on an "S" schedule this afternoon. This means only train 301, 303, 307 and 311 will operate.
As always, thank you for riding VRE."
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