(Updated at 11:40 a.m.) One person was killed early this morning (Tuesday) after their vehicle apparently drove off the Capital Beltway (I-495) near the Springfield Mixing Bowl and crashed onto railroad tracks below.
An initial investigation indicates that a Kia was headed west on I-495 towards northbound I-395 when it veered off the interstate near exit 170B, according to Virginia State Police, which responded at 1:19 a.m.
“The vehicle went over the side cement barrier and landed on the railroad tracks below. The impact of the crash caused the vehicle to immediately catch fire,” the VSP said in a news release.
In an update at 11:48 a.m., police confirmed that the person who died was the Kia’s driver and lone occupant.
Some ramps at the interchange were closed, but the scene has now been cleared, and Virginia Railway Express trains are up and running, WTOP reported shortly after 6:30 a.m.
“The remains have been transported to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Manassas for examination, autopsy and positive identification,” the VSP said.
NEW: Early reports a car went off of I-395N ramp from Beltway & onto railroad tracks below. Vehicle is on fire. Follow @WTOPtraffic for details. @ffxnow @CordellTraffic @RealTimeNews10 #traffic #vatraffic @SafetyVid pic.twitter.com/T6G2gGQUqN
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) May 2, 2023
Springfield: Mixing Bowl ramps 495 EB (Outer Loop) to 395 NB and 495 WB (Inner Loop) to 395 NB closed due to crash. Pls use alternate route.
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) May 2, 2023
Photo via Google Maps
(Updated April 1) Empty parking spaces have been common sights near Fairfax County’s five Virginia Railway Express stations over the last two years.
Like those of other transit agencies nationwide, the commuter railway service’s woes during the COVID-19 pandemic have been well-documented, but a new ad campaign airing this month and next is looking to regain riders.
VRE hoped that the introduction of vaccines would mark a turning point in the pandemic, but the emergence of new Covid variants and the rise of remote work has stymied efforts to bring ridership levels back up.
“We’ve been at this and have just stayed focused and tried to keep it all in front of us,” VRE CEO Rich Dalton said at a board meeting on March 18.
While there were typically over 18,000 daily riders in 2019 and the first two months of 2020, VRE saw 1,532 daily passengers on average in the first half of 2021 and around 2,747 daily passengers in the second half.
This year, the average daily ridership was 2,083 in January, 2,785 in February, and 3,666 from March 1 through March 18 — the highest average since March 2020, according to data provided to FFXnow.
“We are trending up…pretty quickly,” Chris Henry, VRE’s director of rail operations, said at the meeting. “Our goal is to try and figure out what is that new baseline gonna be.”
VRE plans ad campaign
In an effort to attract returning and new riders, VRE plans to launch a marketing blitz that will include radio and mobile app ads.
VRE expects to spend no more than $50,000 on digital advertising campaigns for the remainder of this fiscal year, which ends on June 30.
Public affairs administrator Karen Finucan Clarkson said VRE will also try to engage riders through real estate and leasing agents as well as community events, such as farmers markets, festivals and fairs.
She said VRE plans to hand out information with a QR code that shows people how to ride, along with free coupons to ride.
The rail service is also working with businesses, chambers of commerce, and other organizations to pass along information to employees and new hires.
“VRE is…an important asset for the region and its strong economic growth, providing benefits whether their employees ride VRE or not,” Joe Swartz, director of government and community affairs, said. “Giving workers transportation alternatives leads to vibrant communities and economic growth.”
VRE will also participate in a statewide campaign called Re-Discover Your Ride. Set to launch on June 1, the campaign aims to help public transit agencies regain riders and is being funded by federal COVID-19 relief money.
VRE Planning Program Manager Nick Ruiz noted that other rail services have seen similar declines.
The Tri-Rail system in South Florida has returned to around half of its pre-pandemic levels, but its service operates in both directions throughout the day with major employment destinations along its route, according to Ruiz.
“I think that’s allowed them to see much more of a resilience,” Ruiz said.
To determine its new baseline, VRE is monitoring shifts in telecommuting, hybrid work schedules, and the federal government’s return-to-office plans. A 2019 survey indicated that most VRE passengers work federal jobs.
In his State of the Union address on March 1, President Joe Biden called for most federal workers to return to in-person work. He later released a plan to expand public-facing services starting in April.
A $5 million project to extend the platform for Virginia Railway Express’ Rolling Road Station is close to opening.
Crews have been finalizing the Burke project that began last year. Improvements include extending the existing 380-foot platform by 290 additional feet, VRE says on a project page.
While train service has continued during the upgrades, passengers must currently move to different cars for getting off longer eight-car trains, making stops there longer.
“The existing platform can handle five rail cars while the new, extended platform will be able to accommodate up to eight rail cars,” Karen Finucan Clarkson, a VRE public affairs administrator, wrote in an email.
The project is also rehabilitating an existing platform, replacing stairs and an existing canopy roof, and upgrading lighting and communications systems.
It should be complete this summer, according to Clarkson. The design follows similar projects that have extended platforms for its Broad Road, Burke Centre, Lorton, and Manassas Park stations.
The statewide commuter rail agency’s push to upgrade stations will continue this summer at a Fredericksburg station, Clarkson wrote.
“We have plans to lengthen the center platform at Alexandria, and platforms at the Brooke and Franconia-Springfield stations,” she said, noting that future projects include Backlick Road, Crystal City, Leeland Road, L’Enfant and Woodbridge.
VRE added longer trains to reflect projected ridership growth, but the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted those patterns. Prior to 2020, the railway averaged 20,000-plus riders, but now, it’s expected to average 8,000 daily riders in the coming fiscal year that starts July 1, InsideNoVa reported.
Meanwhile, staging equipment for the project at the Rolling Road Station will be removed to make way for a planned parking lot expansion.
Fairfax County said last June it plans to expand the free lot from 375 to 413 spaces, among other upgrades, with a $1.9 million project slated to begin this July.
