USA: Following a competitive procurement process, current operator Keolis North America has been awarded a further contract to operate Virginia Railway Express commuter services in Virginia and the Washington DC region.
The latest contract consolidates operation and maintenance into a single agreement to provide a more integrated and efficient organisation. It runs for five years from July 2026, with two additional five-year options potentially extending the total duration to 15 years.
VRE is the 13th largest commuter rail service in the USA, with its Manassas and Fredericksburg lines totalling 150 route-km, serving 19 stations and carrying 20 000 passengers/day. It is jointly managed by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and the Potomac & Rappahannock Transportation Commission.
The operating contract covers 32 weekday trains provided by more than 100 Keolis employees using a fleet of 20 diesel locomotives and 100 coaches.
‘Highly competitive procurement’
Keolis, which is owned 70% by French national railway SNCF and 30% by Canadian pension fund Caisse de Depot et de Placement du Québec, has operated the services since 2010. ‘We won this contract through a highly competitive procurement process, as is often the case in this market, which is intensely contested by both local and European players’, said Keolis’ International CEO Laurence Broseta on February 20.
Broseta said ‘this new contract bears testament to Keolis’s rail expertise, built on high standards of safety, operational performance and service quality. It demonstrates our teams’ ability to deploy proven rail know-how in North America, as they do on other rail networks worldwide.’
Separately, VRE’s joint governing bodies appointed Katie Choe as VRE CEO with effect from January 20, replacing Rich Dalton who retired at the beginning of October. Choe was Chief of Staff to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, has been Chief Engineer for the City of Boston Public Works and served as a programme manager at the Massachusetts Port Authority.
She takes over following the adoption last year of VRE’s multi-billion dollar 2050 Service Plan & Vision to increase services beyond commuter-focused rail and to position VRE as a regional rail network with increased bidirectional services and weekend and late-night services.
‘I look forward to working alongside our talented staff and partners to enhance the rider experience, deliver transformative capital projects, and build VRE into the first choice for regional transportation in northern and central Virginia’, she said.
