BOSTON – While Governor Baker makes cuts to critical services for Massachusetts taxpayers, his mismanagement of Keolis and their commuter rail contact continues, as described by the Boston Globe today.

 

Massachusetts Democratic Party Chairman Gus Bickford today called on Baker to hold Keolis accountable.

 

"Governor Baker’s failure to hold Keolis accountable for not meeting the terms of their commuter rail contract has resulted in the predictable outcome," said Bickford. "Service this fall is the worst since the disastrous winter of 2014. Keolis is cancelling dozens of trains each month, leaving thousands of commuters stranded on the platform.

 

“After two years of ineffective performance, it is clear that Governor Baker has badly mismanaged the Keolis contract. The administration secretly refunded almost a million dollars in fines and renegotiated the contract to give Keolis $15 million more each year, apparently without demanding improvements in service or reliability. Why weren't basic performance conditions put in place in exchange for millions of dollars in taxpayer cash? If Keolis still isn’t meeting the terms of their contract, taxpayers should get their money back.

 

“Instead of shipping trains out of state to be repaired, Keolis should be hiring staff here in Massachusetts to work nights and weekends to get the trains inspected and back in service as fast as possible.