Caltrain recommends new operator to run train system

Caltrain management has negotiated a proposed contract with TransitAmerica Services Inc. of St. Joseph, Mo., to operate the Peninsula commuter rail system and that it will recommend the contract for approval to the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board at its September 1 meeting. The recommendation is based on a competitive process that extended more than 15 months and included detailed and expert evaluation of five proposals from top rail management firms.

The proposal presented
by TransitAmerica received a consensus top ranking. Proposals were
scored in three major areas of criteria – the management, operations and
maintenance plan; the cost proposal; and the qualifications and
experience of the firm and key personnel proposed by the firm as the
management team for the Caltrain service.

The first full year
(FY 2013) of the five-year contract is for $62.5 million, within the
projected Caltrain operating and capital budgets. Subsequent contract
amounts are subject to annual negotiations.

With a transition to a new rail contractor, federal regulations provide job protections for current employees.

"We
made a business decision to go to the marketplace and the result is an
opportunity for a partnership between TransitAmerica and Caltrain that
can meet the high expectations we have for a safe, reliable, viable
Peninsula commuter rail service now and in the future," said Caltrain
Executive Director Michael J. Scanlon.

"This is a contractor
with the experience, the know-how and the vision to assist Caltrain in
operating a system that provides opportunities for improvements,
expansion, cost and operational efficiencies and to continue and enhance
the long-established Caltrain culture of safety first."

Should
the Joint Powers Board approve the final recommendation, it would bring
to an end the 20-year relationship between Caltrain and Amtrak, which
has operated the rail system since 1992, when the Joint Powers Board
assumed responsibility for the iconic 148-year-old Peninsula commuter
line.

"The contribution of Amtrak to the Caltrain service can
never be fully measured," said Scanlon. "The successes enjoyed by
Caltrain are due in significant part to the partnership between Amtrak
and the agency, and we are grateful for all Amtrak has done."

Once
the contract is executed, there will be a five-month period during
which the new operator will transition into place and mobilize its new
management team. During that period, Caltrain and Amtrak will remain in a
partnership and Amtrak will continue to operate the railroad as it
participates in the transition.

The Caltrain panel recommended
TransitAmerica after receiving best and final offers from four firms,
including Peninsula Corridor Rail Services, Inc., a partnership between
Amtrak and rail car manufacturer Bombardier.

The major
components of Caltrain’s new five-year contract, with five one-year
options, include the daily staffing and operations of trains, as well as
inspection and maintenance of tracks, the passenger rail vehicle fleet,
rights of way, structures, the signaling and communication network,
stations, and other facilities.

Scanlon said that while cost
was a critical criterion, it was not the only factor in identifying the
best proposal to meet the system’s needs. He said TransitAmerica
presented the agency with the best overall proposal to provide the
desired operational enhancements and performance improvements for
Caltrain riders with an achievable operations plan that should result in
efficiencies to the system over the life of the contract.