MBTA awards rail repair contract to SPS New England

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) Fiscal and Management Control Board awarded a $17 million commuter-rail right-of-way construction services contract to SPS New England Inc.

The agreement provides on-call construction services for urgent repair and reconstruction needs across the agency's commuter-rail system. The contract does not relieve Keolis Commuter Services of its current contractual obligations to operate the MBTA's commuter-rail network, agency officials noted in a press release.

Instead, the new contract is aimed at addressing capital maintenance and improvement projects that fall outside of Keolis' routine maintenance scope. Once the condition of an asset can no longer be addressed through routine maintenance, it's handled as a capital construction project.

The on-call agreement includes drainage, wall, concrete and platform repairs. SPS also will handle work on a project-by-project basis as directed by the MBTA.

The new contract is aimed at improving on-time performance and customer safety, MBTA officials said.