BOSTON — The MBTA board of directors officially chose the upstart Mass Bay Commuter Railroad Co. to take over commuter rail operations from Amtrak next summer, awarding a five-year, $1.1 billion contract to the Boston-based consortium, the Boston Herald reported.
T officials say the move will save them more than $59 million over the five-year contract and give them tighter control over the service.
“I think today we made an important step in really streamlining a big government operation and making it more responsive to not only our customers, but also to the taxpayers,” said T General Manager Mike Mulhern.
Mass Bay consists of European rail giant Connex, Montreal’s Bombardier Transportation and the Boston-based Alternate Concepts, which employs a number of former T officials.
The group’s bid was half that of the $2.2 billion offer made by Boston & Maine Corp., which also lagged far behind with its technical proposal.
“We’re pleased and excited,” said Jack Leary, Mass Bay’s managing director. “It’s our goal to make this system kind of the envy of the entire country.”
The biggest hurdle facing Leary’s group will be hammering out a contract with the 1,600 commuter rail workers now employed by Amtrak.
A few months ago, Mass Bay offered workers a 3 to 4 percent annual raise and other perks. It was rejected by union officials, who say they’re seeking a “significant” boost in pay.
Leary refused to discuss contract matters yesterday or talk about staffing assumptions in Mass Bay’s bid that call for the reduction of 170 union jobs over the life of the contract.
Charlie Moneypenny, chairman of the MBTA Commuter Rail Labor Coalition, said he was unaware of any planned cutbacks.
“We didn’t hear anything about reduction in staff positions during (our) discussions . . . but the place for those discussions is in negotiations,” said Moneypenny. “When you release assumptions or demands, you stand the risk of making the other side angry or upset or nervous.”
While the T’s big contract procurements are often followed by litigation, Mulhern said this one was “pristine.”
“There’s not even a hint of a lawsuit on the horizon,” said Mulhern.
Mulhern vowed the change from Amtrak to Mass Bay will be painless for commuters.
“A successful transition for us will be one that’s invisible to the riders,” Mulhern said.