ABDELLAH CHAJAI, the CEO and general manager of the MBTA’s contracted commuter rail operator Keolis Commuter Services, is leaving his position this summer and returning to France. In September, he will start a new job as executive director of marketing and innovation for the Keolis Group, a Paris-based conglomerate focused on public transportation.
The change at the top of Keolis Commuter Services comes as the contract, held by the company since July 2014, is set to expire June 2027. MBTA officials are readying to have a new contract in place, whether it’s with Keolis or another operator, by the time the current contract expires.
A search for Chajai’s successor is underway, according to the company. An interim CEO, not yet announced, will helm the organization until the new CEO is hired, with input from MBTA officials.
Chajai, a native of France, first took the CEO job in 2022. He relocated from London, where he worked for a joint venture involving Keolis and fellow operating company Amey, an engineering and operations firm.
“I am tremendously proud of what the Keolis team has accomplished during my time in Boston, and in my new role I will continue to be a champion for the important work happening here,” he said in a statement. “In partnership with the MBTA, we have helped usher in a new era of Commuter Rail operations and service, driving the strongest ridership return nationally post-Covid.”
Brad Thomas, the president and CEO of Keolis North America, the subsidiary of Keolis Group that owns Keolis Commuter Service, thanked Chajai for his work in Boston. “Keolis is committed to continuing this momentum and to bringing a new CEO to lead Keolis Commuter Services into the future,” he added.
Keolis Commuter Services, one of the largest private employers in the area, has 2,500 people on the payroll, with 85 percent of the workforce represented by 14 unions. As part of its contract with the MBTA, the company received $421 million in 2023 for train operations, as well as $83 million for additional work and $19 million in revenue-sharing and parking.
The commuter rail system has just over 140 stations and an on-time performance rate of 92 percent, according to the MBTA. The system, which runs out to Worcester, as well as New Bedford and Fall River, sees more than 550,000 weekly passengers.
The Fall River/New Bedford Line, also known as South Coast Rail, a long-awaited project that cost $1.1 billion, started service on March 24.
But the service saw a rocky start, with canceled trains and customers shifted onto buses. Keolis blamed cancellations on needing more trained employees, and Chajai appeared before the MBTA’s oversight board in April to apologize to passengers for the disruptions.
In a May 2 letter to state senators last May, after they inquired about the late trains, MBTA general manager Phil Eng wrote that, while the majority of South Coast rail trips were on time, the shuttle service was “entirely unacceptable.”
“Keolis provided assurances to the MBTA prior to the start of service that a sufficient number of trained operators would be available, and that Keolis would provide the level of service our riders deserve,” he added. “Keolis has fallen short on that promise, and the MBTA intends to hold Keolis accountable.” (For the last eight weeks, the line has not seen weekend cancellations due to crew availability.)
That aside, the head of the MBTA’s watchdog agency praised Chajai’s three years as CEO. Brian Kane, the executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board, credited him with increasing revenue collection with the installation of fare gates at North Station. The fare gates are soon coming to South Station, too.
“I think he had a successful tenure,” Kane said.
This post has been updated.