CONTRACT OPERATIONS
Building a Partnership
for Improved Service
Streamlining maintenance, improving communications and a new
contract amendment are just some of the steps Keolis Commuter
Services has taken to give the commuters of Boston a better ride.
T
By Leah Harnack
alking to employees that run the commuter
rail in Boston, Massachusetts, there’s one
thing that inadvertently comes up in nearly
every conversation: the winter of 2015.
Touring the control room at Boston’s
South Station, Keolis Commuter Services
Director of Train Operations Rich Murhpy
said, “Th e winter of 2015 cannot be explained
if you weren’t there.”
Murphy has been with the railroad for 29
years. He spent his fi rst 15 years in the control
room with Amtrak, which shares the space with
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s
commuter rail, operated and maintained by
Keolis Commuter Services.
Th e January 2015 northeaster created snow
emergencies in six states and nearly 9 feet of
snow fell in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Leslie Aun, vice president of corporate communications,
Keolis North America, said, “It
was really a very challenging time but in some
ways, it helped make possible some of the things
we’re able to do today because it really forced
a lot of attention on what a lot of the system’s
issues were. I’m not sure where we’d be where
we are today.”
An Evolution of Service
Changes in communication, new service plans
and a closer look at the operations came out of
the storm and have created dramatic changes
for the passengers.
Keolis Commuter services Customer Service
Manager Linda Dillon said prior to that
winter, the commuter rail schedule was what
it was; it changed every spring and every fall.
One of the innovations out of 2015 was a timetable
of a snow schedule.
Dillon said, “If there’s a big storm, we automatically
go … to blue schedule. Everywhere
with blue on the timetable means that train
won’t run,” giving passengers the information
in advance, to know which trains won’t operate
during weather disruptions.
Th e commuter rail service has
40 new locomotives and then
Throughout the winter, MBTA
and Keolis monitor weather
forecasts to determine
changes in the
schedule of the
commuter rail
service.
8 | Expo Daily | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | OCTOBER 10, 2017
about 50 more from the 80s. Some of those older
locomotives that were never overhauled, are part
of a Unit Exchange Program, UTEX. Th is maintenance
overhaul has been put in place to get
old, out-of-service locomotives back in service.
Keolis Commuter Services Chief Mechanical
Offi cer Ernest Piper said, “It’s getting more
locomotives into the mix, so that gives us more
fl exibility for the customer.”
One of the big things they’ve been doing
over the last year in particular, is getting everybody
used to the “7-day railroad” as he called it.
Staff ed at a 5-day operation, he said it lacked continuity,
as all the weekend work was overtime.
Contracting for Growth
On June 30th, an operating amendment with
the MBTA was signed that incentivizes Keolis
Commuter Services to grow revenue and
grow ridership. A marketing revenue team was
created as the fi rst step — the fi rst time that
marketing has been a part of the scope of the
commuter operator.
Th is type of contract and partnership
demonstrates the interest between the operator,
the city and the agency to grow the market,
said Clément Michel, president & CEO of
Keolis North America. “I’m really glad aft er 18
months of negotiations, to have this contract,”
he said. “Now, we really have common interests
with the MBTA in growing ridership.”
Keolis Commuter Services CEO and General
Manager David Scorey explained that part of
the revenue partnership is exploring how they
can make the last mile of the journey easier for
passengers. “It’s enabling passengers to connect
every step of their journey that really suits them.
“Employing technology, looking at rideshare
schemes, maybe hooking up with other
transport providers … We’ve been very successful
elsewhere in the world. We can
bring that technology and thinking
— how to connect the dots — bring
that to the operation here.”
Read more at MassTransitmag.
com/12373023
Leah Harnack/Mass Transit
From the control room at South
Station, you can see the trains going in
and out of the station.
Kevin Harnack
