MARC, VRE Launch A ‘Buy One Ticket, Ride Both Systems’ Provision
In “Commentary: We Still Don’t Have What Canada Has (Had?): A One-seat Train Ride Across The Entire Continent” five posts back (All About Trains Nov. 19, 2024 post) the main point being there is currently no one-train-ride coast-to-coast in the United States. Good, bad or indifferent, that’s the reality. That there will ever be one remains to be seen.
So, closer to home is this idea of the train rider being issued one ticket for multiple transit services or systems in and around a given major metropolitan center. Okay, so back to this in just a bit.
But first…
So harking back to a mid-1980s Amtrak trip I made, the next to the very last time I rode the national passenger rail carrier was between Denver and Baltimore, both in traveling to the latter and in returning to the former. One part of that trip that stands out in my mind was in when being issued the combo ticket package, arrangements for Amtrak-train travel on the entire to-and-from journey in this case were all made at one location. Which meant I could disembark from the California Zephyr train in Chicago and re-board a second Amtrak train, this one on Conrail trackage, first to Pittsburgh and then to Philadelphia where I had a layover before continuing on that portion of the trip to Baltimore — the entire rail-journey’s halfway point. The main point here being that I was spared the step of needing to stand and wait in a ticket line at every station where a transfer from one Amtrak train to another Amtrak train was necessitated in this case, thus affording me the ability to reach each destination station along the way in a more streamlined and convenient manner. Which, in the end, resulted in the entire travel experience for me being a joy and, by extension, a most welcome and appreciated one.
It is remembrances of this trip that now brings me to the topic du jour: that of metropolitan-based transit operators and a willingness on their parts to work together to provide the customer with as seamless a process as possible in their using multiple, connecting transit platforms at one station as said customer switches from one service to the next and in getting from one location or destination to the next.
One area where just such a practice/program is in place is in the mid-Atlantic region and involves, as it just so happens, two independently run commuter-train operations: MARC (Maryland Area Rail Commuter) and VRE (Virginia Railway Express).
In a VRE press release dated Aug. 8, 2024, the agency announced: “The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) and Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration today celebrated a new collaborative agreement that will enhance commuter connectivity and efficiency across the region. Effective immediately, passengers with a weekly, monthly, or 10-trip ticket purchased on the MARC or VRE system to Union Station can utilize that ticket to transfer to the other system (MARC to VRE or VRE to MARC) to continue their trip at no additional cost.”*
The station in question is Washington, D.C.’s Union Station where the agreement was made, all according to press-release-provided information.
"’This agreement represents a significant step forward in regional transit integration,’ said Maryland Transit Administrator Holly Arnold. ‘We are not only fostering a more connected and efficient transportation network across our states but fueling economic growth by facilitating easier movement of people, supporting tourism and attracting business to the National Capital Region.’”
That “integration,” of course, being what in the release is referred to as a “cross-honor” program. The program affords the so-affected customer a so-called one-ticket seamless transfer.
“‘This agreement effectively expands the geographic footprint of commuter rail service in the region and provides passengers with an affordable two-seat ride across state lines,’ said VRE CEO Rich Dalton. ‘It lays the groundwork for future efforts to better align MARC and VRE operations, which is consistent with our long-range plan to grow VRE from a peak-period, commuter-focused rail service to an all-day, bi-directional transit system that can better meet the transportation needs of a growing region.’”
And as VRE further explained, “With this new program, passengers will have easy access to connections between major urban centers, along with the unprecedented flexibility offered by the multiple transportation options available at Union Station. MARC and VRE riders will have access to a wide range of employment centers, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, and tourism and cultural options throughout the region.”
A “win-win-win” for all concerned most definitely!
*Aug. 8, 2024 “VRE and MARC Cross-honor Program Advances Regional Connectivity,” VRE press release. https://www.vre.org/vre--marc-cross-honor-program-advances-regional-connectivity/
Image credit: Roger Puta via Wikimedia Commons
All material copyrighted 2024, Alan Kandel. All Rights Reserved.