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ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Virginia Railway Express, a commuter rail system linking Northern Virginia with Washington, opened in 1992, offering motorists a break from crowded interstates.
The Manassas Line, connecting Manassas, Va., and Washington, opened on June 22, 1992. The east–west route operates along tracks owned by Norfolk Southern.
A second line, The Fredericksburg Line, connects from Fredericksburg, Va., and Washington. The north–south line, which opened July 20, 1992, operates over former Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad tracks, which are today owned by CSX.
A little more than 81 miles makes up the entire VRE system, and there are a total of 18 stations on the two lines. Amtrak crews operate VRE trains.
VRE is owned by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission. The NVTC and PRTC are governmental entities that were created by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Local governments within each commission’s geographic area are members of each commission.
Wikipedia contributed to this report.