Virginia Railway Express System Plan 2050

The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) System Plan 2050 was adopted in July, setting a long-term vision for the region’s commuter rail system. The plan will guide VRE’s growth over the next 25 years, expanding service throughout Northern Virginia and beyond.

Dallas Richards, Deputy CEO and Chief Engineer, VRE, and Nick Ruiz, AICP, Planning Program Manager, VRE, presented an overview of the System Plan 2050 to the Authority. Benefits of the plan include:

• Fewer vehicle miles traveled
• Lower carbon emissions
• Reduced roadway congestion
• Improved safety - Commuter and intercity rail travel is 18x safer for passengers than traveling by car

Quarterly Travel Trends Update

NVTA staff monitor travel trends in Northern Virginia to gain a better understanding of the current transportation landscape and to inform NVTA's long-range transportation planning activities. Harun Rashid, Planning and Analytics Manager, NVTA, updated the Authority on trend observations covering the second quarter of 2025 (April-June). This quarterly update features a review of highway traffic volumes, transit ridership and more.

Transit Ridership

In the second quarter of 2025, trend findings show DASH, Fairfax Connector and OmniRide carried more riders than in 2019. Metrobus ridership reached 83% of 2019 levels. Both Metrorail and VRE saw higher average ridership compared to earlier this year, although VRE’s numbers declined after April. Mr. Rashid noted this may reflect VRE returning to its usual seasonal patterns, along with recent changes in federal employment levels.This analysis is based on ridership estimates for Northern Virginia only.

Highway Traffic Volumes

In the second quarter of 2025, trend findings show weekday traffic volumes made up 97% of pre-COVID levels. Thursdays and Fridays remained the busiest days. Mr. Rashid noted traffic on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays were closest to pre-COVID patterns. Monday volumes, in particular, reached their highest level since NVTA staff began tracking day-of-week trends in 2024, likely reflecting more federal workers returning to offices, in addition to increased summer travel around long weekends.



Average Weekday Travel Time at Bottleneck Locations

Additionally, to compare congestion levels on Northern Virginia highways from 2019-2025, NVTA staff analyzed the minutes of delay during average weekday travel times at locations that experienced substantial delays in the second quarter of 2025. After reaching their lowest point in 2020 due to the pandemic, travel times have steadily increased, with 2025 levels higher than in 2019. This is likely due to low rates of ridership recovery on Metrorail and VRE as more commuters who used to take transit pre-COVID, are opting to drive now.

Collaboration Across the Region

NVTA is proud to support our partners in improving Northern Virginia's transportation network. Together, we advocate for the transportation needs of Northern Virginia, working to secure the resources necessary for vital projects that enhance the region.

NVTA continues to take steps toward bringing projects to reality, signing Standard Project Agreements (SPA) with project sponsors to move progress forward. Below are four projects that received SPA approval by the Authority last evening.

• City of Manassas's Liberia Avenue Third Lane Eastbound Project
• City of Manassas's Roundabout at Route 28 and Sudley Road
• Loudoun County's Northern Virginia ITS/ICM Improvements
• Virginia Passenger Rail Authority's (VPRA) Franconia-Springfield Passenger Rail Bypass Project



We can't highlight it all! Click any of the links below to access each agenda

item covered during the September 2025 Authority Meeting.

Upcoming Events

NVTA's InNoVAtion Lunch and Learn

Join us for our next InNoVation Lunch & Learn on Thursday, October 2nd, at 12:00 p.m.! Jeff Bruenig, Senior Program Manager for Advanced Air Mobility, MITRE, will discuss how automation, equity, infrastructure readiness and policies could shape and impact Northern Virginia. We look forward to seeing you there!

NVTA's State of the Region's Transportation Event

Join us for our second annual State of the Region’s Transportation Network event on Wednesday, October 22nd from 8:30 to 11:00 am. Register now to gain insights from experts and leaders around Northern Virginia as they discuss the latest trends and developments shaping the region’s transportation future, especially the future of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).

Esteemed panelists and speakers include:

• Phyllis Randall, Chair, NVTA and the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors
• Monica Backmon, CEO, NVTA
• Alyia Gaskins, Mayor, City of Alexandria, Authority member
• Clark Mercer, Executive Director, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
• Nuria Fernandez, President/CEO, AMDC Consulting, LLC