The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) honored 10 public transportation providers from the states of California, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Texas and Washington, D.C., with the 2026 Rail Safety, Security and Emergency Management Awards at the 2026 APTA Rail Conference in Baltimore. 

“These awards celebrate the innovation and dedication of public transit agencies and their employees who work daily to protect their passengers, colleagues and the communities they serve,” said APTA President and CEO Paul Skoutelas. “APTA congratulates the public transit agencies honored today for their strong performance in safety, security and emergency management. Their commitment to excellence sets a positive example for the entire industry.” 

Nominations are evaluated on four criteria:  

1. Effectiveness 
2. Benefit level  
3. Innovation  
4. Transferability  

The top honor is the Gold Award, which is presented to organizations with the best example of a safety, security or emergency management program. A Certificate of Merit is given to organizations in recognition of exceptional achievement in safety, security or emergency management. 

The 2026 Rail Safety, Security and Emergency Management Award winners are recognized in the categories of commuter/intercity rail, light rail/streetcar and heavy rail. The 2026 winners are: 

Rail Safety Award 

Gold winners 

• Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Metro-North Railroad, New York, N.Y. – commuter rail 

• MTA New York City Transit (NYCT), New York – heavy rail/subways 

• Maryland Transit Administration, Baltimore – light rail/streetcar 

Certificate of Merit winners 

• Caltrain, Millbrae, Calif.– commuter rail 

• North County Transit – San Diego Railroad (NCTD), Oceanside, Calif. – commuter rail 

• The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Houston– light rail/streetcar 

Rail Security Award 

Gold winners 

• MTA Metro-North Railroad and MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), Jamaica, N.Y. – commuter rail 

• MTA NYCT – heavy rail 

Certificate of Merit winner 

NCTD – Commuter Rail 

Rail Emergency Management Award 

Gold winners 

• MTA Metro-North Railroad – commuter rail 

• Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Washington, D.C. – heavy rail/subways 

Certificate of Merit winner 

MTA LIRR – commuter rail 

Rail, Safe, Effective and Clean Award 

Gold winners 

• MTA Metro-North Railroad – commuter rail 

• Bay Area Rapid Transit, Oakland, Calif.– heavy rail/subways 

• Metro Transit, Minneapolis – light rail/streetcar 

Certificate of Merit winner 

 WMATA – heavy rail/subways