Commonwealth Magazine | By Bruce Mohl | July 11, 2016

THE MBTA’S OVERSIGHT BOARD on Monday approved a series of maintenance, repair, and scheduling changes for commuter rail service that are expected to improve on-time performance and boost the income of the cash-strapped private contractor, Keolis Commuter Services, by about $15 million a year.

James O’Brien, president of the Boston Carmen’s Union, is leading the fight against efforts at the T to privatize agency operations. O’Brien told members of the Fiscal Management and Control Board that Keolis is the perfect example why transportation services shouldn’t be privatized. “Thirteen years after we outsourced the operation, privatization has clearly not delivered the improvements we were all promised,” he said. “Keolis is a glaring example of privatization gone wrong.”

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