BART receives honor at 2019 APTA International Rail Rodeo
Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor
BART and the CCJPA have unveiled a rail improvement program called Link21.
BART
The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) team based out of Oakland, Calif., is the latest recipient of the Rail Transit Team Achievement Award at the 27th annual American Public Transportation Association (APTA) International Rail Rodeo held June 21-22.
The BART team includes Joshua Vining, Justin Strong, Gary Crandall, Steven Dore and Erroll Luciano. The Rodeo was held June 21-22 in conjunction with the 2019 APTA Rail Conference in Toronto, ON.
Officials said the Rail Transit Team Achievement Award is given to the system with the highest rail operator and maintainer team combined score.
The second place winner was the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation (LACMTA) team, while the third place award was won by the Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) team.
“Every morning our operators and maintainers are up before the sun, striving to make another day as safe and convenient as possible for our riders,” said APTA President and CEO Paul Skoutelas. “All our competitors put hard work into being the best public transportation providers they can be. The recognition they have received this weekend are the result of years of hard work and training.”
The Operators Competition is intended to measure professional skills, including train operation, knowledge of safety regulations, train equipment, and track right-of-way rules and procedures.
Logan Packer and Michelle Smith won first place in the Operators Competition on behalf of Utah Transit Authority. Joshua Vining and Justin Strong of BART placed second.
The team of Earleke Kidd and Eugene Metts of Maryland Transportation Authority based out of Baltimore took third place.
During the Maintainers Competition, officials said participants are considered based on their ability to troubleshoot maintenance problems.
The BART team including Gary Crandall, Steven Dore and Erroll Luciano were named winners in this category. The LACMTA team consisting of Marcos Martinez, Paker Rounds and Calvin Wong placed second. The RTD maintainer team of Michael Hubbard, Randall Lovegrove and George Sweeney won third place.
The APTA International Rail Rodeo Competition is intended to encourage “excellence and professionalism” in rail transit operations. This year, the competition included 19 teams of operators and 15 mechanic teams from the United States, Canada and Japan.
