MBTA Spending $3 Million on Commuter Rail Contract Search

Before the MBTA shells out billions on a new long-term, commuter rail service contract, it’s first spending nearly $3 million on an international search to attract the best applicants, according to the Boston Herald.

The T is looking for a company to run its commuter rail service operations over the next five to possibly 30 years, as its current, roughly $250 million-per-year contract with the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co. (MBCR) expires June 2013.

MBCR plans to bid aggressively for the new deal, according to the Huffington Post. The company, which has been in place since 2003, has received some criticism during its tenure, primarily for weather-related delays. However, MBCR officials defended their record in January.

Half of the search allotment will go toward legal fees, according to the Herald, with lawyers from Greenberg Traurig and Maher already on board to assist.

Steven Mudge, who oversees the MBTA’s rail operations, told the newspaper that the MBTA wants “to signal to the market that (it’s) opening a serious, robust competition seeking the most qualified bidders, including international bidders.”

According to its website, the MBCR performs the following duties for the MBTA:

• Operating all commuter rail service
• Maintaining rolling stock, stations, track, signals and support equipment and infrastructure
• Operating a customer service center specifically dedicated to commuter rail
• Training programs for engineering maintenance, transportation and customer service employees
• Inspecting infrastructure and rolling stock and developing replacement and capital investment recommendations
• Establishing new, Boston-based systems for management information systems, human resource management and payroll systems for commuter rail employees.

Do you think MBCR deserves a new deal?