The original contract with the city of Boston was signed in 2003 for five years, with three-year and two-year extension options. In 2008, MBCR obtained the first extension through July 2011. With this latest two-year extension, the contract will run through to the end of June 2013. For MBCR, the contract will generate revenue of approximately $600 million for the two additional years.
The Boston commuter rail system is the fifth largest such system in the United States. It carries 40 million people a year on a 750 km network that serves 80 towns and cities in the Massachusetts area, with 132 stations. The 1,800 employees run 460 trains per day. The MBTA retains responsibility for capital investments and delegates responsibility for operating the system, maintaining the vehicles and infrastructure, and customer service to the operator. For the duration of the contract, Veolia Transport is committed to targets for quality of service, including customer service, and for staff training.
"Veolia Transport would like to thank the MBTA for the confidence it has shown in us since 2003. It's an honor to be able to continue our work through 2013," said Cyrille du Peloux, chief executive officer of Veolia Transport. "In the space of 10 years, Veolia Transport has developed its services by boosting on-time performance, passenger information and vehicle comfort in order to improve travel conditions in the bay area. It's also a success for our company's rail business that will enable us to pursue our growth and reinforce our know-how and expertise in rail activities around the world."
