Operation Lifesaver, Inc. Awards $219,155 for Rail Safety Public Awareness Campaigns in 11 States

WASHINGTON, DC, April 24, 2025 –  Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), in partnership with the  Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)  and the  Posner Foundation of Pittsburgh,  announced today $219,155 in competitive rail safety awareness grants to Operation Lifesaver programs in 11 states. The FRA provided $175,000 of the total funding. 

These grants will fund a variety of crossing safety and trespass prevention public education projects aimed at growing awareness and encouraging safe behaviors around railroad and transit tracks. Many of the campaigns are scheduled to coincide with See Tracks? Think Train!® Week,   September 15-21, 2025. 

“FRA is very pleased to continue its support of Operation Lifesaver Inc.’s lifesaving efforts to combat preventable grade crossing and trespassing incidents and casualties,” said James Payne, Staff Director of the FRA Grade Crossing and Trespasser Outreach Division. “This grant funding allows OLI state organizations to conduct highly effective public outreach to deter the leading cause of rail-related deaths.” 

Henry Posner III, Chairman of the Posner Foundation and the Iowa Interstate Railroad, added, “Increasing the public’s awareness about grade crossing risks, trespass prevention and suicide are rail industry challenges worldwide. In the USA, Operation Lifesaver is front and center in dealing with these societal problems through education and advocacy. For the seventh consecutive year, we are honored to not only provide funding but to stand as dedicated supporters of OLI’s lifesaving mission.” 

OLI Executive Director Rachel Maleh  said, “We are thrilled to announce this year’s grant recipients, whose innovative approaches are advancing rail safety education. Their dedication and creativity in sharing this lifesaving message make a real difference in communities nationwide. We are especially grateful for our continued partnerships with the Federal Railroad Administration and the Posner Foundation of Pittsburgh, whose support makes these critical outreach efforts possible.” 

Maleh continued, “Everyone can do something to make their communities safer. We urge you to engage with OLI on social media, schedule a FREE rail safety presentation, volunteer with us and explore oli.org for additional resources. Together, we can #STOPTrackTragedies and save lives." 

Projects funded by the FRA grants include: 

• Illinois Operation Lifesaver plans to enhance rail safety awareness by partnering with minor league baseball teams to engage families in community discussions. This initiative will launch a season-long awareness campaign with the Windy City Thunderbolts-Crestwood and the Thrillville Thrillbillies-Marion, reaching thousands of attendees through on-site activations, digital promotions and multi-channel advertisements. 
• Indiana  Operation Lifesaver will launch a digital outreach campaign to address the rising number of railroad crossing collisions in Indiana. Running from September to mid-October 2025, the campaign will use geo-targeted digital ads, streaming PSAs and social media outreach to educate high-risk communities, while distributing branded Emergency Notification System (ENS) materials to reinforce safety awareness. 
• Minnesota Operation Lifesaver plans to complete its Professional Driver Education video series by translating the remaining safety videos and social media clips into Spanish and Somali, creating 14 new digital assets. This expansion will ensure critical railroad safety messages reach a broader audience, particularly professional drivers.  
• Missouri  Operation Lifesaver will partner with Learfield Communications in launching a statewide safety campaign emphasizing rail safety education to prevent collisions and injuries, using broadcast, digital media and in-person events to raise awareness and engage the community. 
• New York  Operation Lifesaver, in partnership with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), and New York & Atlantic Railway (NY&A) railroads, will launch a public awareness campaign to combat the rising trend of train surfing among young teens in NYC. The campaign will use short, engaging videos mimicking user-generated content, in-feed ads and influencers to reach at-risk youth. Additionally, targeted outreach will take place in schools and community organizations along high incident train lines. 
• South Carolina  Operation Lifesaver’s project will focus on Greenville, which ranks first in the state for highway-rail collisions and third for trespassing incidents. Through partnerships with city officials, law enforcement and media, they will leverage major public events—such as the Greenville Jazz Festival and Swamp Rabbits Hockey games—to educate the community, raise awareness and reduce rail-related incidents. 
• Tennessee Operation Lifesaver will use an ESPN geo-targeting live stream campaign in the areas of Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Tri-Cities to spread the rail safety education message. 
• Texas Operation Lifesaver will enhance public awareness of rail safety education among professional and independent truck drivers. Utilizing a comprehensive advertising strategy incorporating streaming, display ads and podcast advertising, the campaign will ensure truck drivers are well-informed about railroad crossing safety and reinforce key safety messages to help reduce incidents at railroad crossings. 
• Washington Operation Lifesaver will focus on areas of known and recurring trespass incidents through an extensive digital campaign featuring advertising, social media messaging and targeted in-person outreach.  

The Posner Foundation of Pittsburgh grant will supplement the Texas project as well as fully fund these two additional state campaigns: 

• California  Operation Lifesaver will launch a Rail Safety Awareness Campaign for Rail Safety Month throughout September 2025, with a key focus on See Tracks? Think Train! Week  (Sept. 15-21). Using geofencing, connected TV, OTT platforms and digital radio, the campaign will target high-risk areas with the highest rates of trespassing and grade crossing incidents aiming to educate at-risk populations and change dangerous behaviors to save lives. 
• Florida Operation Lifesaver will use geofencing to push rail safety education information to individuals approaching railroad tracks. They will enlist a heatmap of all the incidents in Florida to identify – and target – all seven of Florida’s top incident locations. 

The approved grants were awarded through a competitive process, with selection based on criteria such as the defined safety need, the number of highway-rail collisions and trespass incidents in the state and how the proposal leverages federal funds with private partnerships.