KEOLIS UPDATE ON MBTA COMMUTER RAIL RECOVERY PLAN FOR MARCH 2
BOSTON, MA – March 1, 2015 – Keolis released today the list of MBTA Commuter Rail trains that will return to operation on March 2 as part of the system recovery plan announced last week.
The recovery plan will take place in four phases, with new weekday trains and capacity added to various lines on March 2, March 9, and March 23, and the resumption of full service by March
30. Weekend schedules remain at full service. The following service will be restored on March 2:
Framingham/Worcester – Train 522 (1:50 p.m. inbound from Worcester) and Train 515 (12:05 p.m. outbound from South Station) will be restored.
Old Colony – Service to and from Plymouth will be restored with Train 064 (2:28 p.m. inbound from Plymouth), Train 066 (7:45 p.m. inbound from Plymouth), Train 065 (12:25 p.m. outbound from South Station), and Train 067 (6:15 p.m. outbound from South Station).
Needham – Train 622 (5:37 p.m. inbound from Needham Heights), Train 628 (8:02 p.m. inbound from Needham Heights), Train 621 (4:40 p.m. outbound from South Station), and Train 629 (7:10 p.m. outbound from South Station) will be restored.
Providence/Stoughton – Train 904 (6:56 a.m. inbound from Stoughton) and Train 903 (5:35
p.m. outbound from South Station to Stoughton) will be restored. In addition, service to and from T.F. Green Airport and Wickford Junction will be restored for all trains serving those stations.
Keolis officials said their priority was to focus on adding trains to locations that would help to relieve the greatest bottlenecks in the overall network, while also prioritizing locations where infrastructure (switches, tracks etc.) would enable a consistent level of service. Keolis will also continue to add more cars, including double-deckers, to increase capacity across the entire system, which as of Friday, was operating at about 80% normal passenger capacity.
“Everyone at Keolis is working hard to get more trains into service every day until we have restored operations to the standard that our passengers expect and deserve,” said Keolis General Manager Gerald Francis. “This last month has been very difficult to our passengers, and
on behalf of the entire Keolis team, want to offer our sincere apology for not meeting their expectations. We are doing everything we can to speed things wherever possible as work to restore full service by March 30.”
Keolis officials said one key issue was the need to replace more than 50 traction motors on locomotives. Once the motors are installed, they must be fully tested before the locomotive can be placed back into service.
Keolis officials said they are fully mobilized to prepare the system for tonight’s snowfall, with forecasters calling for 3-6 inches of new snow, with heaviest amounts falling south of the Massachusetts Turnpike. Crews will work overnight to clear platforms and station stairs, while track crews will be assigned to maintain key switches and keep tracks clear of snow.
Passengers seeking additional information should contact Keolis Customer Service at calling
617-222-3200 (TTY 617-222-5146), or on Twitter @MBTA_CR. Updated schedules can be found under the Commuter Rail heading at www.mbta.com.
About Keolis
Keolis is a global leader in the passenger transportation industry, operating systems in 15 countries including North America. The largest light rail operator in the world, Keolis transports
2.5 billion passengers a year via trains, buses, shuttles and taxis, and also provides fleet management and maintenance, logistics and routing services. Learn more about how Keolis and our 55,000 employees are always “Thinking Like A Passenger” at www.keolisnorthamerica.com.
