Bars and Stripes - A VRE Impression

Bars and Stripes - A VRE Impression

VRE stands for Virginia Railway Express, which operates commuter rail service connecting communities in
northern Virginia with Washington, D.C. VRE has two routes, the Fredericksburg Line and the Manassas Line.

MP36PH-3C diesel-electric locomotives pull shiny bilevel consists of Sumitomo Gallery IV coaches. (*) The trains
operate in push-pull configuration with the locomotive facing out at Union Station, so the last car of the train is a cab control car, which becomes the "first" car on inbound trips, the engineer controlling the MP36 at the rear from his cab, which has the duplicate set of locomotive controls.

On this photo-enticing July afternoon, a Fredericksburg Line train calls at the VRE's Franconia-Springfield station.
The commuter platform is connected by the overbridge to the rest of the Franconia-Springfield Transportation Center, serving the Washington Metro's Blue Line trains as well as regional and long-distance buses.

© 2024 Steve Ember
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