Dykema and Peisch Press for More Accountability in Commuter Rail Contract

Representatives Carolyn Dykema (D-Holliston) and Alice Hanlon Peisch (D-Wellesley) announced on September 20 that they, along with other legislators from the MetroWest area, sent a letter to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation pushing for more accountability and requirements in the upcoming new contract for the management of the commuter rail. After many years of being run by the Mass Bay Commuter Rail Company (MBCR), the state is going out to competitive bid in January and will be issuing its request for proposals in the near future which will include provisions that must be met by the bidder.

“Reliable and well managed commuter rail services are key to our economy in Massachusetts and particularly in MetroWest. I hear from constituents all the time who tell me that we have a long way to go in providing the level of service that we all expect,” said Representative Dykema. “I want to acknowledge Secretary Davey for sending a clear message about quality, and for competitively bidding a new contract. This presents a real opportunity for us to hold the next management company accountable for high standards of maintenance and on-time performance. By including explicit quality requirements, we’ll maximize that opportunity and lay important groundwork for creating a world class transportation system. It’s important we get this right.”

“I see the rebidding of the commuter rail service contract as an opportunity to improve the overall service for riders,” said Representative Peisch. “I believe that DOT and the MBTA must take advantage of this opportunity to improve service by advocating for strong performance measures and practical consequences for poor service in order to ensure that residents in our districts, as well as the many riders from other areas of the Commonwealth, are getting the best and most efficient service possible.”

The letter recommends that the following measures be included in the new contract:

Define what constitutes on-time performance and articulate specific goals consistent with industry best practices, for example, require a calculation of on-time performance during peak hours separately from overall on-time performance;

Include provisions that hold management fully responsible for late trains, including substantial financial penalties;

Require regular reporting of on-time performance that is provided electronically to the public that includes performance comparisons with similarly scaled systems worldwide;

Provide a toll-free customer service number and an electronic submission process to collect rider feedback;

Require rider feedback to be tracked, responded to, and managed in a way that facilitates statistical analysis and continuous improvement;

Require a long-term capital management and maintenance plan that requires regularly scheduled maintenance and predictable, scheduled replacement of trains;

Require that any changes to the management contract be subject to a public hearing and be ratified with a vote of the full MassDOT Board at a public meeting with adequate public notice;

Require that a multi-year cost estimate of any proposed contract change be completed and available for public review before contract changes are approved.