Keolis GM Foresees 'A Good Day' For Commuter Rail Riders
BOSTON (CBS) -- The MBTA added 15 trains to its commuter rail system Monday morning in another step toward the planned restoration of full service by the end of the month.
"This is a good day for us," said General Manager Gerald Francis of Keolis, which operates the commuter rail. "I'm excited about it for our passengers."
According to Keolis' restoration plan, commuter rail should be operating at 85 percent capacity on Monday. By March 23, service will be at 92 percent before being fully operational by March 30.
"This is one of the first of our milestones," Francis said. "Each week we're assessing the equipment, if we can do it sooner, trust me, we will."
Keolis GM talking to passengers and employees at North station.#keolis pic.twitter.com/R5PPCKtjR6
— Karen Twomey (@KarenTwomeyV) March 9, 2015
The MBTA fined Keolis more than $434,000 after nearly two-third of trains were late or canceled during a period of extreme snow and cold for the region in February.
Last week, Keolis apologized to customers in a full-page ad in The Boston Globe.
"This is not our standard and I did owe our customers an apology," Francis said. "They want us to listen more and improve the communication, and we're going to work extremely hard in doing that."
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Karen Twomey reports: