(Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company issued the following news release on December 1.)
BOSTON — Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR) today announced its second class of new Locomotive Engineers who will operate commuter rail trains throughout Eastern Massachusetts. The class includes three female Locomotive Engineers, the most ever put into service at one time by MBCR.
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas and MBCR General Manager James F. O’Leary honored the Locomotive Engineer, conductors and crew who were aboard the Boston-bound train on Monday October 23rd when it slammed into a truck that was stuck on the tracks in Franklin, MA. The entire crew was widely praised for its level-headed, professional response to the accident, which resulted in minor injuries to more than 20 passengers and crew.
MBCR’s Locomotive Engineer Training Program is among the most challenging in the country. Through their training, the new graduates earned Class I Passenger Engineers certification, the highest Locomotive Engineer certification attainable under federal law.
To become Locomotive Engineers, William Amado, Jennifer Broady, Michael McCann, Lara McMillan, Anthony Palino, Barbara Payne, Brandon Quaranto, Daniel Rouleau, Richard Russell and Daniel Shea had to undergo a rigorous year-long training program, including:
Phase I: 10 weeks of classroom training
Airbrake Systems
Diesel Engine Theory and Trouble-Shooting
Electrical Systems
Safety
Federal Law
Train Handling Theory
Railroad Operating Rules.
Phase II: Field Training
Extensive instruction from certified Instructor Engineers and Supervisors of Locomotive Engineers.
Qualification tests on the physical characteristics of the entire commuter rail territory
Certification in all classes of train service.
About MBCR
Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company, LLC (MBCR) is a partnership of Veolia Transportation North America, Inc., the transportation division of Veolia Environment (Europe’s largest passenger transportation company); Bombardier Transportation, the world’s leader in manufacturing and maintenance of passenger rail vehicles; and Alternate Concepts, a Boston-based transportation operations and consulting firm with expertise in the design, operation and maintenance of rail transit systems. MBCR operates and maintains the fifth largest regional rail network in the United States under a contract with the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority. MBCR provides service to 40 million passengers a year in nearly 80 cities and towns in Massachusetts, as well as Providence, RI.