RTD begins Operation Lifesaver outreach program

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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Denver Regional Transportation District says "Safety first" is plastered on every light-rail vehicle for a reason – it's the agency's top priority.

 

RTD with its contractor, DTP, will begin a massive outreach program early this year to educate the public about safety around the three new commuter rail lines that open in 2016 – East Rail Line to Denver International Airport, the first segment of Northwest Rail Line to Westminster and the Gold Line to Arvada/Wheat Ridge.

Safety outreach along the East Rail Line will begin first because the testing and commissioning process will begin there this spring. That means the new rail cars will be operating on the track between downtown and DIA. Outreach for the Gold Line and Northwest Rail Line to Westminster will begin later in 2015.

Through the national Operation Lifesaver model, RTD will reach out to 47 schools that are within one-half mile of the track and some schools even farther out. This will ensure that nearly 35,000 students, their parents and school faculty learn how to safely maneuver at the new street level train crossings and how to be safe around the new train platforms, which are four feet above the tracks.

Another focus of the program includes making sure everyone is aware of the 25,000-volt AC overhead electrical system that powers the trains. The message for that is simple. Just don’t touch any electrical equipment. If the power line is up, it is live with electricity.

In addition to school outreach, the safety program will offer presentations to organizations for blind and deaf persons as well as those dealing with suicide prevention programs.

 

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