Keolis - Keolis Operations UK & USA - FKeolis - F Keolis Operations Keolis United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, Keolis owns 35% of Govia that owns Govia Thameslink Railway, operator of the Thameslink, Southern & Great Northern franchise and previously operated Thameslink, Southeastern and London Midland. Keolis also had a 45% shareholding in First TransPennine Express from February 2004 until March 2016. Upon being re-tendered, FirstGroup took full control. During 2012, Keolis lodged a joint bid with SNCF for the aborted InterCity West Coast franchise. In 2014, in partnership with Eurostar, the company submitted a bid for the InterCity East Coast franchise, however, the franchise was awarded to Stagecoach/Virgin, who trading as Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC). In partnership with Amey, Keolis operates both the Docklands Light Railway and Manchester Metrolink concessions. Furthermore, Keolis is part of the Tramlink Nottingham consortium that commenced operating the Nottingham Express Transit tram operation in December 2011. Specifically, operations have been sub-contracted to Nottingham Trams Limited, a consortium of Keolis (80%) and Wellglade (20%). In May 2018, the Wales & Borders franchise was awarded to KeolisAmey Wales, who received a contract valued at £5 billion covering a 15-year period starting on 14 October 2018. This contract included the provision of investment in the Welsh network, including £800M into new rolling stock, £194M to modernise 247 stations and build five new Metro stations, the running of 285 extra services between Monday and Friday along with 294 extra Sunday services. On 14 October 2018, KeolisAmey Wales commenced operations under the Welsh Government owned Transport for Wales brand. On 31 May 2020, an Emergency Measures Agreement was approved to assist KeolisAmey Wales, it detailed that the Welsh Government will spend up to £65 million over the next six months to ensure trains continue to operate on the franchise. On 7 February 2021, the franchise was nationalised by the Welsh Government and transferred to a publicly owned operator of last resort, Transport for Wales Rail, with Amey retaining an involvement in delivering key infrastructure projects related to the Core Valley Lines. Keolis United States Keolis America is based in Boston, Massachusetts. It does business as Keolis North America, operating public transportation contracts in both the U.S. and Canada. In the U.S., its subsidiaries operate commuter rail systems in Virginia and Massachusetts, as well as fixed-route and shuttle bus systems in several states. In Nevada, Keolis operates bus services along the Las Vegas strip through a contract with the Regional Transportation Commission. On 16 October 2009, the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) Operations Board approved an $85 million contract with Keolis Rail Services America to operate and maintain VRE trains for five years. Keolis began operating VRE on 12 July 2010 after a two-week delay, ending Amtrak's 18-year tenure as operator. Both Amtrak and Keolis had staffed the VRE lines with about 80 employees. However, during the bidding, a group of Holocaust survivors and Maryland politician Heather Mizeur called for investigations into SNCF's role in transportation of Nazi prisoners to concentration camps during the Second World War before the Keolis contracts could move forward. The operator of the train line, Amtrak, also challenged the propriety of hiring a foreign company. It has also bid to run some California commuter rail segments and two MARC lines in Maryland, even though with the latter, the company is running into similar issues with the VRE bidding. Another group of Holocaust survivors, led by now-deceased Leo Bretholz also requested investigations of SNCF's involvement in the conflict. As a result, a law was passed to enforce this, leading to major criticism because SNCF had already documented their role in the deportation and had in fact released their archives for research and educational purposes in 1996. Eventually however, Keolis would lose to Canadian company Bombardier Transportation. On 29 November 2011, Keolis Transit America, Keolis' US subsidiary, announced acquisition of Tectrans Inc., a California-based privately held provider of contract transportation services. Tectrans holdings included in the acquisition included Mobility Plus Transportation, Western Transit Systems, and Diversified Transportation. Keolis bus operations in the United States include Foothill Transit, Tri-Rail Commuter Connectors, and RTC. On 8 January 2014, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority awarded Keolis Commuter Services a contract to operate 664 miles of passenger service for $2.68 billion over eight years, with the possibility for two two-year extensions that could bring the total price to $4.3 billion. It began operating the MBTA Commuter Rail on 1 July 2014. Keolis Overview Keolis Type: Private
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