Virginia Railway Express riders gave the crews running the commuter trains worse reviews than last year, in the first customer service poll since Keolis took over operating the trains from Amtrak. About 5,600 riders surveyed about the train service that links suburban Virginia with the District gave lower marks to crews for being helpful, courteous and knowledgeable than a similar survey conducted last year, according to a summary of the findings. Overall, 85 percent gave the train crews top grades compared with 87 percent for Amtrak workers.
However, riders gave VRE higher marks for cleanliness and on-time performance, and ranked the overall service quality slightly higher than when Amtrak ran the trains. In total, 49 percent of the riders surveyed said that train service had improved since last year, while only 9 percent said it hadn’t improved.
| Who rides VRE |
| 62% are 45 or older |
| 61% are male |
| 71% listed their employment as government or military |
| 30% own more than two cars |
| The majority earn $100,000+ per household |
| Source: VRE 2011 customer service survey |
More people than ever are riding the system and the trains are running on schedule more often than in the agency’s entire 19-year history.
“We were surprised to hear the scores came in a couple of points lower overall than Amtrak,” said Ben Cornelius, Keolis’ senior operators manager. “We were surprised given the compliments we get in emails and online forums.”
VRE and Keolis officials believe the lower marks come from riders getting used to change on a tight-knit system where riders are known to bring in cookies for conductors. VRE switched to Keolis in 2010 after the French-owned company underbid Amtrak for the contract. But the handover was rocky.
“It’s our riders becoming used to new train personnel,” said VRE spokesman Mark Roeber.
VRE also asked Keolis to crack down on fare evaders, they said. The trains are more crowded than ever, as well, with some standing room only.
