Operation Lifesaver awards grants to fund transit-rail safety campaigns

Operation Lifesaver Inc. yesterday announced it has awarded $140,000 in grants to eight transit agencies and commuter railroads in six states for transit-rail safety public awareness and education projects and campaigns.

The grants were awarded through a competitive process based on criteria including safety messages, target audiences and evaluation methods, OLI officials said in a press release.

The grant amounts range from $7,400 to $20,000 and require each organization to provide a 25% match, OLI officials said in a press release. The educational campaigns will use OLI-approved materials and logos.

The funding is supported by the Federal Transit Administration. The grantees and their projects are:

• Brightline in Florida, which will launch a digital safety campaign targeted for Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Brevard counties ahead of the introduction of intercity passenger-rail service;
• Charlotte Area Transit System in North Carolina, which will undertake a digital ad campaign targeting drivers and pedestrians aged 18-54 to decrease the number of trespassing incidents that occur along the LYNX Blue Line light-rail system;
• Dallas Area Rapid Transit in Texas, which will reach out to the public in schools, homeless facilities and other transit-oriented businesses along its routes to help reduce light-rail collisions with vehicles, pedestrians and trespassers;
• Hampton Roads Transit in Virginia, which will promote light-rail safety awareness and education in the downtown Norfolk corridor via signage, train wraps, digital media campaigns, giveaways and community meetings;
• Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which will implement a public education program to include community outreach and multilingual safety materials ahead of resuming the South Coast Rail commuter service in southeastern Massachusetts at the end of 2023;
• MTA Long Island Rail Road in New York, which will create materials to distribute at school events to reinforce rail safety messaging to pre-kindergarten, elementary and middle school children;
• MTA Metro-North Railroad in New York, which will develop a promotional campaign including rail-safety themed items to distribute in schools, during events and in other settings, with promotional posters and other materials being offered as prizes, as well as social media messaging; and
• SunRail in Florida, which will conduct train safety research to support updating the state’s new driver education materials with vital information on recently implemented railroad crossing safety measures.