Commuter rail operator Keolis has formed an internal Worcester Line Rapid Action Group to improve performance on the Worcester line, where only 61 percent of trains were on time during a recent 30-day period.

“We’re coming together on a weekly basis to really look at what’s going on in the Worcester line and see what can we do in our control that will positively impact performance,” David Scorey, Keolis general manager, said in an interview Tuesday. “No idea is a bad idea. Everything is being analyzed, scrutinized, and every opportunity is being sought to minimize effects on performance and optimize the way the service performs.”

The Rapid Action Group is the second group recently formed to address concerns with the commuter rail line. The Worcester Line Working Group, with representatives including Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, members of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, local government representatives, and other residents, first met in late September and is reviewing possible schedule changes for May 2017.

In a Nov. 21 presentation to members of the MBTA Fiscal Management and Control Board and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Mr. Scorey said the Worcester line had an on-time performance of 61 percent within the past 30 days - the lowest of any commuter rail line. The MBTA sets a reliability goal of 90 percent of trains being on time.

Those interviewed Tuesday attributed the decreased on-time performance over the past six months to several factors. These include a tight schedule where a single delay can impact other trains; infrastructure projects; bottleneck areas of single track; and - more recently - slippery rails resulting from wet leaves coating the tracks.

Mr. Scorey said the Rapid Action Group is thus examining, among other questions, what factors regularly delay Worcester line trains, how to best sequence trains, and the best allocation of equipment and staff to ensure smooth operations.

Some improvements - such as adding an extra conductor to three trains, shifting equipment, and increased track washing - appear to have improved on-time performance.

The number of morning peak trains that arrived on time increased from 47.3 percent during the week of Nov. 7 to 63.6 percent from Nov. 21 to 27, according to Keolis.

Dave Perry, a member of the Worcester Line Working Group and a regular blogger about his commute on the line, questioned, however, whether schedule changes, construction and slippery rails could be solely to blame for the poor on-time performance.

“I’m willing to forgive them for slippery rail and things out of their control if they are doing everything possible they could do to mitigate it,” Mr. Perry said. “Part of it’s luck, part of it’s making your own luck ... I have a feeling we’re not making our own luck.”

Asked about the delays while in the city attending a statewide firefighters award ceremony, Gov. Charles D. Baker Jr. said the state is "scrambling like mad to catch up" after a lack of investment in the MBTA.

"The big message I would give people is we’re planning to spend $1 billion a year on the core system - tracks, signals, switches, infrastructure - that should have been made a long time ago," Mr. Baker said. "And as those investments get made, I absolutely believe the quality and the performance will improve.”

Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Timothy P. Murray, who as the former lieutenant governor was involved in authorizing many infrastructure improvements to enable more frequent commuter rail service in Worcester, said reliable and increasing commuter rail options were an important part of Worcester’s success.

“We know it’s played a huge role in unprecedented economic growth in downtown and the neighborhoods around downtown, and we want that to continue,” said Mr. Murray, noting that the chamber is participating in the Worcester Line Working Group. “That’s dependent on reliable commuter rail.”