To: The Honorable Paul Smedberg, VRE Operations Board Chairman

NVTC and RPTC: Add counter-rush hour traffic and weekend service

Add counter-rush hour AND weekend service along the Fredericksburg Line of the Virginia Railway Express!

Why is this important?

I have been a resident of the DC area my entire life and have been attending the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg for the past three years. I believe we can speak for everyone who lives or will live along Interstate 95 that something must be done about the incredible amount of car traffic that has become more and more apparent along the highway in the last decade. However, widening the highway or adding an HOV lane or building the Bi-County Parkway is not a long-term solution. Traffic on I-95 is no longer a morning and evening, weekday phenomenon--it happens at all times of the day and night. And it's only getting worse. The best way to prevent this environmental disaster from worsening is to add more cheap, enjoyable train rides by VRE for commuters of all kinds, not just the 9am to 5pm office workers. The MARC Train in Maryland has been providing counter-rush hour service for years now and will begin providing weekend service starting December 7th--so should Virginia!