Transit agencies across North America. celebrated See Tracks? Think Train® Week 2026 during the week of Sept. 21. Formerly known as Rail Safety Week until 2024, Operation Lifesaver (OLI) launched the campaign in 2017 alongside OLI Canada and the Mexican Association of Railroads to help prevent tragedies around railroad tracks and trains. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, there were approximately 2,273 collisions at public and private rail crossings in 2025 that resulted in 286 fatalities and 766 injuries.

“Safety advocates across North America are united in the common goal of saving lives,” said OLI Executive Director Rachel Maleh. “We can all do something to help stop track tragedies, and it starts with knowing the facts, recognizing the signs and making good decisions.”

Each day during the week of celebration, a different theme was highlighted with in-person events led by state OLI Programs, as well as virtual activities and social media efforts sharing lifesaving rail safety education messages.

The themes were as follows: 

• Sept. 21: #STOPTrackTragedies Media Outreach Day: The week launched with proclamations and kick-off events bringing attention to the week and its message. 

• Sept. 22: Operation Clear Track: Emphasized the importance of obeying crossing safety and anti-trespass laws. Law enforcement and first responders across the U.S. and Canada conducted awareness exercises. 

• Sept. 23: Crossing safety: Emphasized the importance of making safe choices where roadways cross railroad tracks, including the use of the Blue and White Emergency Notification System (ENS) signs. 

• Sept. 24: Transit Safety Thursday and professional driver safety: Shared safe transit riding habits, information for driving on shared roadways with transit trains and critical guidance for truckers and professional drivers, as well as school bus drivers.  

• Sept. 25: Volunteering with OLI and Red Out for Rail Safety: Encouraged the public to become an OLI Authorized Volunteer and wear red in support of rail safety education. 

• Sept. 26: Trespass Prevention Day: Targeted pedestrians, joggers, students and outdoor enthusiasts with safety messages about the dangers of being on or near the tracks. 

• Sept. 27: No photo, video or selfie is worth the risk: Warned content creators and amateur and professional photographers of the dangers of illegal photos or videos taken near tracks and trains.

“Rail Safety Week is an opportunity to get Canadians talking about rail safety,” said OLI Canada Director of Marketing and Engagement Chloé Devine Drouin. “For 45 years, Operation Lifesaver Canada has worked alongside partners and communities across the country to share knowledge that can save lives. Rail safety knows no borders, and our continued collaboration with Operation Lifesaver in the United States helps reinforce consistent safety messages and safe behaviors around railway tracks and crossings across North America.”

Many U.S. transit agencies made efforts to promote the campaign. Some of the highlights include: 

• The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and Keolis North America posting rail safety messages on digital screens at major stations throughout the week that reminded riders and the public to be aware of their surroundings and exercise caution around railroad tracks and crossings. 

• TriMet promoted a Stop. Look. Listen. campaign to remind riders that “safety is a shared responsibility." 

• The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority promoted a “Never Train Surf. Safety Begins with You” campaign and shared its new Safetyville video on its social channels. 

• New Jersey Transit supported the week with safety blitzes at select stations where agency safety employees interact with customers to remind them of safe procedures, as well as systemwide social media messaging reminding customers of critical safety tips. 

• Denver Regional Transportation District employees shared information with customers about rail safety and answered questions about safely navigating stations and areas around trains and tracks at various stations throughout the week. 

• Amtrak Police Officers distributed rail safety education cards at crossings and other locations across the country. 

• The Utah Transit Authority, Utah OLI, the Utah Department of Transportation, Utah Highway Patrol and Utah Railway joined forces around the message, “Every sign tells a story.” 

• The North Carolina Department of Transportation conducted crossing blitzes to teach motorists and pedestrians about safe behaviors at railroad crossings and how to contact the railroads in case of an emergency. 

• Brightline hosted a rail safety awareness event in Oakland Park, Fla. The event began with a community news conference highlighting the importance of rail safety education, responsible decision-making around railroad crossings and the availability of mental health resources. Participants then conducted an educational walk along the Oakland Park corridor, distributing rail safety information and encouraging residents and businesses to take the rail safety pledge.

Safety continues to be a theme in the public transit industry

Keeping the public safe has been an ongoing topic in the public transit industry the past few years. As Mass Transit magazine previously reported in the 2025 Transit Safety and Security Report, transit agencies across North America are starting to update rider policies, crack down on fare evasion, use artificial intelligence to help enhance safety and add police to their systems to make riders feel safe when using their systems to commute from place to place.