Operational Excellence

As President and Chief Executive Officer, David Scorey oversees Keolis North America’s three operating divisions, which include the largest public transport contract in the United States in Boston, Massachusetts and a range of heavy rail, bus, and paratransit operations. With intercity services throughout the U.S. and Canada, Keolis North America has more than 5,800 employees and revenue in excess of $800 million.

Prior to taking on his current role, Scorey led Keolis Boston for 5 years as CEO, where he oversaw industry-leading revenue and ridership growth, increased safety and operational performance, and a five-year contract extension. Beginning his career in a hands-on role in the UK rail industry more than 30 years ago, Scorey progressed through a variety of managerial, director, and VP-level roles prior to becoming CEO of one of the UK’s largest commuter rail operations before moving to the U.S. in 2016.

Gerald Francis is the President of Keolis Commuter Services, supporting growth and innovation in Keolis' Boston and North American operations. As a senior transportation executive with 35 years of experience, Gerald has successfully developed and managed major freight, commuter rail, heavy rail, light rail, bus, and paratransit services throughout the United States. He has chaired the American Public Transportation Association Rail Standards Committee and currently serves on the APTA Business Member’s Board of Governors and the Board of Directors of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, where he is a powerful advocate for the business community.

Before joining Keolis, Gerald served as the General Manager of Caltrain operations for Transit America Service, Inc. Other notable career highlights include serving as Deputy General Manager for the Washington DC Metropolitan Transit Authority in Washington, DC. During his tenure, he achieved operational milestones such as the successful grand opening of the Washington Nationals’ new baseball park in April 2008, where the system transported 1.2 million rail and bus passengers. Additionally, he played a key role in the historic Obama Presidential Inauguration in January 2009, overseeing the transportation of 1.54 million passengers, the highest ridership in the system’s history.

Abdellah Chajai has more than 25 years of management experience in passenger rail operations. He became CEO and General Manager of Keolis Boston in 2021. In prior roles in London and Paris, Abdellah combined visionary leadership with technical expertise to develop successful teams focused on innovation and global best practices.

Before coming to Boston, Abdellah served as Managing Director for Keolis Amey Docklands (KAD), the 6th busiest light rail system in the UK. KAD operates a key part of the London transportation network under contract to Transport for London (TfL). During Abdellah’s tenure, KAD achieved significant growth, customer accolades, and four “Operator of the Year” awards, including the prestigious “Passenger Operator of the Year” award.

Abdellah is a native of France and began his career as a project manager and operations director in several European countries. Abdellah brings a global perspective to the MBTA Commuter Rail operation in Massachusetts. Mr. Chajai speaks six languages and has multiple master’s degrees.

John Kerins is the General Manager of Keolis Rail Services Virginia. John, a seasoned railway professional with 37 years of diversified managerial experience, excels in operations and maintenance across freight, passenger, and light rail systems. His expertise extends to developing and launching new rail businesses and strategically managing railroad assets.

In his role as General Manager at Keolis Rail Services Virginia, John has achieved remarkable results, establishing a record of superior railroad safety performance and significantly improving customer survey results.

John's career also includes notable positions such as Director of Operations at Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink) and Assistant Vice President at Southern Pacific Rail Corporation, where he managed passenger train operations and negotiated multimillion-dollar agreements.

John Killeen is our Vice President of Asset Management at Keolis Commuter Services in Boston. John brings over 30 years of experience in railroad engineering. John started his career maintaining rolling stock for British Rail in the UK in both technical and project management fields. He then moved to Eurostar, the Anglo-French-Belgian international operator of the Channel Tunnel passenger rail service, working with a large fleet of over 30 180mph high-speed trains. He has extensive experience in procuring and leasing rolling stock from his time working with HSBC Rail the owner of nearly 3,500 vehicles in the UK and Europe.

John joined Keolis’s operation in the UK in 2008 working as the head of rolling stock fleet production and programs for the largest train operator in the UK introducing new fleets of Electric Multiple Units and managing the day to day delivery of over 400 sets of equipment operating 2,500 trains every day. He most recently joined our team in US in 2017 as Vice President of Asset Management leading the entire Mechanical, Engineering and Force Account teams.

John Killeen is a chartered mechanical engineer with a master’s degree in Railway Systems Engineering.

Richard Dean, our Vice President of Service Delivery at Keolis Commuter Services in Boston, boasts an extensive 38-year career covering various operational roles in the railroad industry. Before joining Keolis Boston, he served as Train Service Director at Southeastern and Greater Anglia in the UK, overseeing network operations, service planning, and operational performance. Richard notably led the team that introduced the UK’s first domestic high-speed rail service, the 140mph Javelin service, between Kent and London in 2009. Beginning his career in locomotive manufacturing, he transitioned to operations as a South London commuter rail conductor. Richard briefly served as General Manager of the Keolis Grand River tram system in Canada before rejoining the Boston team in 2023.

In his current role, Richard leads the Keolis Boston Service Delivery team, responsible for daily Commuter Rail network service. His portfolio includes network planning and operations, operational performance management and transformation, train crew management, and overall leadership in delivering a positive customer experience to 80,000 daily Commuter Rail riders.

Kellie Andrews comes to Keolis Commuter Services, Boston through an accomplished career in aviation. As VP of Safety, Security, Quality & Environment, her focus is establishing and enhancing governance for the future direction of systems safety. In two short years, she has overhauled and introduced new methodologies for incident and accident investigations at KCS. Her central focus is on safety culture with applications to advance risk-based decision-making for rail in North America.

Kellie has also leaned into our environmental and sustainability culture with enhanced certifications and decarbonization programs for a cleaner future. She is a regular on the "Women in Rail" speaking tour, including APTA and Rail Share where the volume of her safety and critical response knowledge is eagerly received. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Management and a master’s in Science & Technology (Safety). She is currently completing a master’s in Human Factors.

Kay O'Neil is the Chief of Network Strategy and Partnering at Keolis Commuter Services. In this role, Kay is the primary liaison between Keolis Commuter Services and the client on financial and contractual matters. For Network Strategy, she collaborates with the MBTA on a program of operational and capital investments to advance the transformation of railroad operations in Massachusetts.

Before joining Keolis in 2015, she was the founder and manager of KKO and Associates, a consulting firm specializing in transportation systems analysis and strategic planning, primarily focused on passenger rail operations. Over 30 years, Kay served as the prime consultant, or a project team member, for a worldwide client base of transit agencies and passenger railroads, including projects on four continents and most major cities in the United States.

Prior to forming KKO and Associates, Kay worked for the Boston & Maine Railroad and for the MBTA. Kay graduated from Harvard University with a Master’s Degree in Transportation Planning.