The data comes as Keolis has blamed the MBTA’s defective new locomotives for some of its cancellations and delays.

Since July, the MBTA has fined Keolis Commuter Services $204,000 for not having enough locomotives available for regular weekday service, according to figures released Thursday afternoon by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

Keolis Commuter Services operated the required number of locomotives for regular service during only four of 23 weekdays in March, a troubling statistic behind some of the many cancellations and delays that have recently plagued their lines.

David Scorey, the general manager of Keolis Commuter Services, said in a statement that the company is working to address the problems with the locomotives.


“Poor locomotive performance recently has led to a downturn in availability,” he said. “This downturn is the result of older equipment failing and issues with newer locomotives, both of which have reduced the daily service capacity.”

The figures also show that Keolis was often not able to provide the required number of coaches, which have led to frustratingly crowded commutes for riders. In March, Keolis Commuter Services was able to provide the required 362 coaches during only 17 of 23 weekdays in March.

Keolis has largely blamed its poor service on the MBTA’s newest locomotives, which have been long riddled with problems, and much older locomotives, many of which had not been properly overhauled. Officials said that only 24 of 40 of the MBTA’s newest locomotives were in service, partly because of problems with an engine part that must now be replaced on the whole fleet.

Officials have said that problems with coaches were caused by the replacement of a wheel repairing machine, a process that can take up to six weeks.

The company fared better with locomotive availability in February, but the MBTA still fined Keolis for locomotive shortages eight days throughout that month.


Keolis declined to provide the number of train cancellations by week, but officials said they had cancelled a total of 121 trains up until the afternoon, 61 of which were during peak hours. Officials say that 99.7 percent of scheduled trains actually ran.

Cancellations have become particularly noticable in recent days, as several commuter rail trains were cancelled for the second day in a row, sending commuters scrambling for alternatives. Trains were cancelled on the Stoughton, Lowell, and Newburyport/Rockport line on Thursday.

Nicole Dungca can be reached at nicole.dungca@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @ndungca.