Keolis North America has named Thomas M. Mulligan as GM and Gerald C. Francis as Deputy GM of Keolis Commuter Services in Boston, overseeing the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s commuter rail contract, which Keolis began operating on July 1.

The two industry veterans bring decades of railroad and customer service experience to Greater Boston where Keolis manages what is the sixth-busiest commuter rail system in the nation.

RELATED:Keolis begins operating MBTA's commuter rail lines

Mulligan began his rail career at Union Pacific where he spent nearly 40 years in leadership roles, serving for a decade as Director of Passenger Rail Operations. Later he became Amtrak’s Operations Officer and Director of Passenger Train Operations, leaving the rail industry after being elected to the Omaha City Council in April of 2010. He is the recipient of the 2010 Railway Age’s W. Graham Claytor, Jr. Award for Distinguished Service to Passenger Transportation.

Francis has served in executive leadership positions for major transit systems throughout his career, which also began at Union Pacific.  He comes to Keolis from TASI – Caltrain, where he served as GM for Herzog Transit Services. Prior to that, he served as deputy GM for the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority in Washington, D.C., managing a $1.1 billion operating budget. Francis joined Keolis in January 2014 as deputy general manager, and led the Keolis mobilization effort in an acting capacity.

“Tom Mulligan and Gerald Francis are two of the most experienced and capable executives in our industry, and under their leadership I am confident that Keolis will make a great system even better, providing Greater Boston with the outstanding commuter rail service that this region so richly deserves,” said Eric Asselin, Executive VP and GM of Keolis North America.