Reinventing Commuter Rail for a Post-9-to-5 World
From Transit Unplugged by Paul Comfort, SVP Modaxo
May 6, 2026 · 24 min · Season 8 · Episode 79
About this episode
Katie Choe discusses the transformation of Virginia Railway Express into a regional rail system to meet modern travel needs.
Commuter rail is being reinvented—and at Virginia Railway Express (VRE), that shift starts with one big idea: becoming a true regional rail system. Katie Choe, CEO of VRE, joins Paul Comfort to explain how the agency is moving beyond its traditional peak-hour, commuter-focused model toward a more flexible, all-day, bi-directional network designed for today’s travel patterns. At the center of that transformation is VRE’s System Plan 2050, a roadmap to expand service, increase frequency, and serve a broader mix of riders—from daily commuters to evening, weekend, and recreational travelers. In this episode, Katie breaks down: What it really means to shift from commuter rail to regional rail How VRE plans to deliver a 60% increase in service by 2030 The challenge of operating on shared freight corridors—and how new capacity changes the game Why diversifying beyond federal commuters is critical to long-term growth How agencies can make incremental service improvements now, before major infrastructure is complete The conversation also highlights one of VRE’s biggest differentiators: customer experience. From meeting first-time riders at the station to achieving more than 60%…
People in this episode
Host: Paul Comfort
Guest: Katie Choe
Topics covered
- commuter rail
- regional rail
- transportation
- service expansion
- customer experience
- infrastructure
Keywords
- commuter rail
- regional rail
- VRE
- System Plan 2050
- service increase
- customer experience
- transportation patterns
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Virginia Railway Express, Massport, City of Boston, MBTA, VRE
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