Keolis Commuter Services has appointed Pascal Baran chief engineer for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) commuter rail contract that begins July 1.
As chief engineer, Baran will be responsible for directing all inspection, maintenance, repair, planning and capital works for all MBTA right-of-way track, moveable and fixed-span bridges, culverts and drainage structures, signal systems, stations, buildings, facilities and other infrastructure.
He will also be responsible for customer and employee safety and security, and will interact and coordinate with partner railroads and other third parties including positive train control system operators and consultants.
Baran comes to Keolis Commuter Services, a part of Keolis North America, after 18 years with SNCF, France’s national state-owned railway company. At SNCF, he held multiple positions handling project engineering, safety and systems, maintenance, infrastructure, and contracting. Prior to SNCF, he was a project engineer with Alcatel Lucent. He has a bachelor’s degree in geophysics from Blaise Pascal University, and an engineering degree from Sup'Aero in Toulouse.
“We are fortunate to have someone as experienced as Pascal Baran join our Boston team in the critical role of chief engineer,” said Gerald Francis, deputy general manager for Keolis Commuter Services in Boston.
“I’m excited to be part of the growing Boston team that will be ‘thinking like a passenger’ and providing superior service to the greater Boston community every day when our contract with the MBTA begins on July 1,” Baran said.
