Rail
Rail
in general and commuter rail in particular, are two of Veolia Transportation’s
key sectors, with worldwide flagship operations in Australia, Sweden, France
and Germany. In North America, we are rapidly growing into this market,
bringing our
international
experiences to rail networks in Boston, the United States’ largest
contracted-out commuter rail system, and most recently to Los Angeles formerly
run by Amtrak.
Customer Service
We are relishing the opportunity to bring new approaches to systems that have
been in business for many years. We work closely with the transit authorities,
existing staff, unions and passenger groups, for a smooth handover and we bring
added customer
service and innovations
to sometimes tired contracts, through “Meet the Managers” sessions on stations
to properly benchmarked customer surveys to wi-fi services on trains, to better
information for passengers and staff, to name a few.
Operational Capabilities
Our operational and safety capability comes from running some of the most
demanding networks in the world. Safety and security concerns in our European
operations, for instance, are extremely rigorous and we are bringing these
experiences and skills to our North American customers. And while some rail
operations usually suffer from patchy performance, staff shortages or train
cancellations, we have experience in improving all that, together with
optimizing train and staff utilization in order to make the most of the assets,
including stations and park ‘n’ rides.
Innovations
Being part of an international group means we can call on resources and ideas
throughout the world to bring a different dimension to the daily operation. For
example, our US team includes a seasoned European transportation security chief
who dealt with terrorism long before it was an issue in North America. Or, in
the UK, we were able to turn around previously neglected stations by adding
shops and day care centers to stations, and attract new customers and new
revenue sources by using the shops to sell tickets, also saving money for the
client. In short, we aim to understand the local issues and then apply
international experience and innovation where it makes sense and can add value.