The Maryland Department of Transportation’s Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) recently received the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) 2016 Gold Awards for Heavy Rail Security and Light Rail Safety.
MTA was the safety winner for its Light Rail Railroad Worker Protection Training Program (RWP) and the security winner for its Zone Enforced Unified Sweeps (ZEUS) program at APTA’s 2016 Rail Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. These awards recognize the top rail systems in North America for excellence in their safety and security programs.
“Nothing we do is more important than keeping our passengers and employees safe,” said MTA Administrator and CEO Paul Comfort. “So, it’s gratifying that the MTA was recognized as a national leader in this effort. The dramatic improvements we’ve made to provide safe, efficient and reliable transit with world-class customer service are clearly delivering results. And, our peers are recognizing it.”
The RWP ensures continuous safety for Light Rail workers by clearly and concisely explaining protection rules to MTA trackside employees and contractors while working in the track area. Since the RWP was first enacted by the MTA, there have been zero employee injuries or fatalities related to on-track safety.
The MTA is one of the safest transit systems — of the top 12 transit agencies in the country — with the lowest number of serious offenses on its system in 2015. The ZEUS program helped contribute to an 11 percent reduction in these crimes from 2014 to 2015.
