Only Two Bids For Railroad Contract

Only two companies are interested in bidding for the MBTA state rail contract.

According to a Boston Globe story, twenty-five companies from all over the world initially expressed interest in competing for and one of the biggest state contracts of any kind in Massachusetts history. But only the French company Keolis and the firm that currently runs the rail system filed the necessary paperwork to bid.

The T had hoped for at least half a dozen competitors to help sharpen bids for a multiyear contract that currently pays the operator nearly $300 million a year.

The Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad currently holds the contracts and some say, has first dibs on the new contract.