Operation Lifesaver, Inc. Awards $134,082 in Grant Funding to Seven Transit Agencies

Oct 26, 2026

By Operation Lifesaver

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 26, 2026 – Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI) will award $134,082 in grants to seven transit agencies, supporting public safety campaigns to increase transit rail safety awareness and promote safe behaviors around transit lines. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) provided funding for these grants.

Awards ranged from $14,082 to $20,000, with recipients providing a 25% match. Awardees were selected through a competitive process. These projects are expected to reach thousands of individuals across the country, promoting key safety messages that align with OLI’s transit rail safety education initiatives.

Grant recipients will launch campaigns that feature targeted outreach to high-risk groups such as students, shift workers and those who live near transit lines. Communications efforts will span a variety of platforms, including digital advertising and social media campaigns as well as in-person events and school outreach. Projects will incorporate OLI-approved safety materials, ensuring a unified message of transit rail safety education nationwide.

"We congratulate this year’s grant recipients. Their creative, thoughtful projects will go far in bringing the transit rail safety education message directly to those who encounter commuter trains, light rail or streetcars daily," said Rachel Maleh, Executive Director, Operation Lifesaver, Inc. "We are grateful to the Federal Transit Administration for its continued and robust support of this program. Their partnership enables OLI to aid the efforts of these agencies, which are sharing lifesaving information with transit riders across the nation."

“Promoting safe behaviors in rail transit communities is a priority for all of us at the Federal Transit Administration,” said Connor Torossian, FTA Associate Administrator for Communications and Congressional Affairs. “We’re pleased to continue to support Operation Lifesaver’s critical work to raise awareness about transit safety. These grants will enable transit agencies across the country to connect with their riders and broader communities to save lives.”

The selected grantees and their projects are:

Fort Worth Transportation Authority (Trinity Metro) will focus its rail safety education efforts on commuter corridors throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area, particularly near industrial and logistics centers, schools and colleges. The project will share rail safety messages through digital media channels popular with young people and provide commercial and industrial drivers with Operation Lifesaver-approved educational materials about Emergency Notification System (ENS) signs. Additional outreach will include co-branded Operation Lifesaver banners and printed rail safety materials distributed to schools and industrial parks.
Hampton Roads Transit will capitalize on the local spring festival and baseball season and share the transit rail safety education message through a light rail vehicle wrap, sponsorship of a Norfolk Tides baseball game and a social media campaign. The light rail vehicle wrap will feature safety messaging and QR codes with links to additional information and resources. Partnership with the Norfolk Tides includes playing safety videos during the game, distributing co-branded giveaways and setting a table for volunteers to connect directly with game attendees. Meanwhile, the social media campaign will feature short-form videos, event-based content and geotargeted digital advertising.
New Jersey Transit (NJ TRANSIT) will implement an Earbud Safety Awareness Campaign to increase awareness of the risks associated with wearing earbuds and using mobile devices while walking, cycling and driving within and around transit operations. Using targeted outreach, strategic communications and evidence-based safety messaging, NJ TRANSIT will promote safe decision making, improve situational awareness and encourage individuals to recognize and respond to visual and audible transit warning devices.
Long Island Rail Road will kick off its Safety Post-It Note project with a contest for school-age children to create safety artwork for one of three topics: grade crossing, boarding the train or platform and station safety. The winning submission will be featured on custom Post-It notes. The competition will help raise awareness of Long Island Rail Road’s Together Railroads And Communities Keeping Safe (T.R.A.C.K.S.) program and share the transit rail safety education message. Promotional efforts will include social media and email campaigns and information on the T.R.A.C.K.S. website.
San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) will advance its Making Transit Safe Program to reduce rail crossing incidents not only along its Blue, Green and Orange Lines but at any tracks. The project will include a custom-wrapped light rail vehicle with transit rail safety messaging and links to OLI resources. There will also be in-person presentations for those who live and go to school near rail lines; public awareness campaigns at local events; partnerships with community organizers; pop-up educational booths and a social media campaign.
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) will reduce unsafe platform behaviors by implementing its Platforms, Not Playgrounds campaign. The project will include in-person outreach through safety tables at key SEPTA stations and age-appropriate transit rail safety presentations at schools located throughout the greater Philadelphia area. There will also be additional community events to distribute transit rail safety educational materials, as well as internal events at SEPTA headquarters.
West Virginia University Personal Rapid Transit will work to eliminate trespass incidents, reduce platform-edge hazards and increase passenger understanding of transit rail vehicle emergency communication equipment. The grant will fund enhancement of safety signs and installation of boundary markers on platform floors, as well as deployment of student safety ambassadors, audio safety messages and student-focused digital media campaigns.