The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) exercised its option to extend its contract with Keolis for an additional five years to operate the VRE commuter rail trains that serve Washington D.C.’s Northern Virginia suburbs.
The contract, which also includes providing maintenance for the trains, is valued up to $21 million for the first year. Keolis has operated VRE trains since 2010, during which time customer service scores have risen sharply and on-time performance has shown continuous improvement. Under the terms of the contract, Keolis will be eligible for an additional extension up to five-years in 2020.
“Keolis assumed operations of the VRE five years ago with a strong focus on safety, operational excellence and providing an outstanding passenger experience and they have more than delivered,” said VRE CEO Doug Allen. “Passengers often tell us how pleased they are with our service and that is due in large part to the work of the Keolis team.”
“Our commitment to the VRE was to provide passengers with an outstanding service and we are pleased that the board recognized our achievements by extending our contract,” said Gregg Baxter, president of Keolis Rail Services America. “Our strong relationship with the VRE was an important factor, and we look forward to being part of the ongoing success of the service as the VRE system continues to grow in the coming years.”
Amtrak will open grant applications March 23 for community projects near the Frederick Douglass Tunnel alignment in Baltimore as part of a $50 million investment tied to the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program.
The Denmark Station $2.3 million construction investment project includes a new 280-foot concrete boarding platform, built eight inches above the top of rail, for improved accessibility for passengers with disabilities and families with small children and much more.
Caltrain and its partners have implemented safety improvements at specific locations in response to known risk conditions, operational needs, and available funding since the agency’s founding.
On a recent episode of METROspectives, METRO Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Roman sat down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic & Cross-Sector Programs at the CSA Group, to explore a bold initiative aimed at addressing those challenges: the development of a National Code for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems in Canada.
Competitive FTA grants will support accessibility upgrades, family-friendly improvements, and cost-efficient capital projects at some of the nation’s oldest and busiest transit hubs.
The 3.92-mile addition will soon take riders west beyond its current Wilshire and Western station in Koreatown, continuing under Wilshire Boulevard through neighborhoods and communities including Hancock Park, Windsor Square, the Fairfax District, and Carthay Circle into Beverly Hills.
Under the plan, all long-distance routes will transition to a universal single-level fleet, replacing today’s mix of bi-level and single-level equipment.
