Packed parking

Manassas, Va. -- The Virginia Railway Express train pulled into the Broad Run station at 5 p.m. Friday. The doors opened and hundreds of commuters poured out, running from the train as if fleeing for their lives.

But there wasn't a problem with the train. It's the overcrowded station parking lot they were running to, hoping to be the first to their cars. Ultimately, hoping to be the first to escape what has become a daily afternoon logjam of drivers trying to get out of the lot, commuters said.

Officials are aware of the parking problem -- the lack of ample parking space -- and think a $22 million parking deck could be the solution.

With its 897 parking spaces, the Broad Run VRE station at 10637 Piper Lane in Bristow has become one of the most congested commuter rail stations in the VRE system. Being the first station on the Manassas line, many commuters in western Prince William and Fauquier counties use the depot to get to their jobs inside the Beltway.

With so many commuters cramming the station, VRE estimates at least 175 of them are forced to park along Observation Road and Piper Lane, and then walk about half a mile to the train platform.

"It's very crowded here, and it's worse for commuters who come later on in the mornings," said Haymarket resident Carlton Hill. "I think some kind of relief is needed, and paying a higher tax to get it would be worth it."

Late last month, VRE announced a $2.4 million study that will examine the possibility of doing what's been done in the past -- acquiring more land to expand the surface parking lot at Broad Run, this time at an estimated $5 million. Or, like at the Manassas and Burke Centre stations, build a parking deck. Those two stations combined have more than 2,200 parking spots.

Parking at the Burke Centre station deck is free to everyone. At Manassas, it's still free, but drivers must obtain parking permits from the city to use the garage.

VRE spokesman Mark Roeber said Friday that the study is set to begin and, among other environmental factors, will take into consideration a nearby pond and a potential site to expand the parking lot.

"The initial phase of the study will require VRE to assess all possible options, and upon conclusion there will be a series of outcomes that will give Prince William County and the VRE Operations Board a clearer look at cost benefits and environmental hurdles," said Roeber.

A parking deck there could include three or four levels of free parking, depending on height restrictions imposed by the nearby Manassas Regional Airport. The results of the study are expected to be presented later this year.

A lack of parking is something VRE customers have been forced to deal with as commuter rail increases its ridership during a time when commuter rails across the nation are seeing sharp declines in passengers.

On VRE's Fredericksburg line, riders who use the Brooke and Leeland Road stations in Stafford County -- similar to the Broad Run station -- cram parking lots and fill up trains, making it standing room only for passengers who board trains at the Woodbridge VRE station.

In response to the crowding, VRE has proposed running an express train. Beginning in July, it would be the first train to leave the Fredericksburg station at 5:05 a.m., stop twice in Stafford County, and then stop again in Alexandria, ultimately terminating at Washington's Union Station.

The idea is to move more passengers from the most crowded stations up the line faster -- 25 minutes faster than any other VRE train currently does. In turn, an express train would make more room for those boarding later trains that would serve every stop on the Fredericksburg line, including stops between Quantico and Woodbridge, transportation officials said.

But word that an express train could skip stations in Prince William County drew sharp criticism from Chairman Corey A. Stewart last week. The elected official said it would be "utterly ridiculous" if an express train did not stop in the county, as Prince William pays the lion's share of local funding to the commuter rail's proposed $91.9 million budget.

The Woodbridge and Rippon VRE stations are not experiencing the same crowding as the Broad Run station or stations in Stafford County. Transportation officials worry that if a new express train makes too many stops, it would loose its appeal of a "faster" option and riders would choose not to use it.

"The idea behind the express train is to catch the majority of the riders before it gets to the Woodbridge stop. Let's not over simplify the proposal and only look only at where the train stops. Creating capacity for standees so that they may have a seat is our objective," said VRE board Chairman Paul Milde.

VRE CEO Dale Zehner said Thursday he understands Stewart's concern and said a planned series of public hearings will be used to examine which stops should be considered for the express train.

One of those meetings has been scheduled for 7 p.m. March 16 at Manassas City Hall. Another has been scheduled for 7 p.m. March 24 at the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission's Transit Center on Potomac Mills Road in Woodbridge.

The express train would cost the agency $500,000 -- which has already been accounted for in VRE's proposed budget. A final plan on which stops an express train would serve is expected in April.

Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065.