VRE ditches Amtrak for French-owned train operator

Virginia Railway Express has chosen a French railway company to operate its commuter trains, giving the foreign-owned company a high-profile launching pad for its first U.S. rail operations while abandoning Amtrak, which has run and maintained the trains since VRE began.

The board of the commuter train agency voted to award a five-year contract with two optional renewals for up to 15 years total to Keolis Rail Services America, an offshoot of a French company that runs that country’s railways. The contract represents cost savings, with a $18.5 million price tag for the first year, then $16.8 million in subsequent years.