Virginia Railway Express
Fares, Ticket Types, Ticket Sales, Validating, and Ticket Refunds/Exchanges
VRE Offers Six Types of Tickets
VRE-TLC (Transit Link Card)
Joint-use fare card allows unlimited travel on VRE and Metrorail for one calendar
month. TLCs can be purchased at most of VRE’s off-site vendors, but unlike all other regular-fare VRE tickets, they are not available from ticket vending machines.
34%
discount off single ride fare plus Metro Ride Monthly Cost
Valid
for one calendar month
Non-transferable
Refundable
100% prior to start of month, partially refundable after month begins;
Metro portion non-refundable
If
lost VRE will replace VRE part of ticket up to two times each year
Accepted
on select Amtrak trains
Grace
period for VRE through the first service day on the following month
Monthly Ticket
34% Savings. Good for unlimited travel between fare zones indicated on the ticket
during a calendar month.
34%
discount off single ride fare
Valid
for one calendar month
Non-transferable
Refundable
100% prior to start of month, partially refundable after month begins; not refundable after 13th of the month
If
lost VRE will replace ticket up to two times each year – see
policy for details
Accepted
on select Amtrak trains
Grace
period for VRE ticket through the first service day of the following
month
Available for purchase through the 9th of the current month (For example: July Monthly tickets are available for purchase from June 10 through July 9)
Five-Day Pass
20% Savings. Good for unlimited travel for five consecutive VRE service days
from activation within the zones indicated.
20%
discount off single ride fare
Must be activated by validating at a Ticket Vending Machine once, prior to first boarding
Valid
for five consecutive business days (will jump over holidays)
Transferable;
non-refundable
Multiple
tickets can be purchased at once, but are only valid after activation
by a TVM
Accepted
on select Amtrak trains
If
not activated, expires one year from purchase
Can be purchased at the platform ticket machines and all VRE vendors
Ten-Trip Ticket
8% Savings. Good for ten one-way trips between the fare zones indicated on the
ticket.
8%
discount off single ride fare
Valid
for ten-rides
Transferable;
non-refundable; multiple persons may use one ticket as long as there
is a validation for each person
Must
be validated at Ticket Vending Machines prior to each ride
Accepted
on select Amtrak trains
Expires
one year from purchase
Amtrak Step-Up Ticket
Must be used in conjunction with multi-ride VRE tickets for one-way travel on
select Amtrak trains (see schedule). Step-Up Tickets
are available for $10.00 at platform TVMs and in bulk from all VRE vendors.
NO
validation required.
Collected
by Amtrak conductor when VRE ticket is checked for validation.
Expires
one year from purchase.
Transferable;
non refundable; only one rider per ticket.
Questions about using a Step Up ticket or the Price Increase? Check out our Step-Up FAQ page.
Single-Ride/Round-Trip Ticket
Good for either one-way or round-trip travel between the fares zones indicated on the ticket. Tickets
can have a maximum of two single rides per pass.
Expires
one year from purchase
Transferable,
but non refundable
Can be purchased at the platform ticket machines and all VRE vendors
Must
be validated at Ticket Vending Machines prior to each ride
NOT
accepted on Amtrak trains
Discounted Tickets
VRE offers discounted tickets for persons with disabilities, senior
citizens and youths (ages 21 and under).
50% Savings off the cost of a single-ride
ticket
May only be purchased through vendors
Children's Fares
Children six and under may ride for free when traveling with a fare paying adult.
There Are Five Ways to Obtain VRE Tickets
Order Tickets From CommuterDirect.com On-Line!
Fill out CommuterDirect.com's On-line
Order Form and have your tickets mailed to your home or business
on either an ongoing biweekly or monthly basis. Credit Card information
is safe because the Commuter Page uses a secure third-party vendor to
encrypt the information before it is passed on for processing by CommuterDirect.com in Arlington. Give it a try!!!
Station Vending Machines
Use Your Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, or STAR bank
card at the ticket vending machines at all stations. Please Note:
The ticket vending machines at the stations do not accept cash.
Sales Outlets
Selected sales outlets sell tickets near stations. You may use METROCHEKS at
select locations. Some locations also accept credit cards, debit cards and checks.
For information on sales outlets in your area, visit our vendor
locations page or call 703-684-1001.
By Fax
Charge your order by fax. Fax a Commuter Direct order
form to 703-524-4959. If you choose, your tickets can be mailed
to you automatically each month. Please allow 3-5 days for delivery of
your ticket by mail.
From Your Employer
Many firms and agencies can help you obtain your train tickets at
big savings. If they are not familiar with Metrochek,
encourage your benefits coordinator or human resources director to call
202-962-1326 to find out more about this transit voucher program which can
save both the employer and the employee MONEY!
Validate Your Ticket Before Boarding
Please remember to validate your Ten-Trip or Single-Ride tickets at the TVM every time before boarding trains. Tickets are not sold on board VRE trains. Virginia law (section 18.2-160.1) requires passengers to purchase and validate tickets before boarding VRE trains. Before each boarding, Single-Ride and Ten-Trip tickets must be validated at the ticket vending machines in station entrance areas. Monthly passes must be signed to be valid. Any passenger that is unable to validate their ticket by use of the validation machine must speak with the conductor prior to boarding the train. Passengers observed onboard without a valid ticket are subject to a fine of not less than $150.
Monthly Tickets are refundable with proof of purchase and under the following conditions:
TLC Tickets are refunded at 100% prior to the first of the month. After the 1st, NO CREDIT can be given for the Metrorail portion of the fare ($80.00).
Ten-Trip, Five-Day, Round-Trip, Step-Up and Single-Ride Tickets are non refundable. However, in some cases, we can make exchanges. Please include the Ticket Exchange Form along with your exchange request.
Monthly and TLC tickets may be refundable. Please include the Refund
Request Form along with your refund request.