Denver RTD wins top award at APTA Rail Conference

The winners of the 18th annual American Public Transportation Association (APTA) International Rail Rodeo were announced Sunday at an awards dinner in Vancouver at the 2010 APTA Rail Conference. Nine public transit systems from across North America competed in this international competition, which recognizes the men and women who keep rail systems safe and efficient.

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) of Denver won the prestigious Rail Transit Team Achievement Award. This top award is given to the system with the highest rail operator and maintainer team combined score. The winning RTD team members were Robert Dennis, Randall Lovegrove and George Sweeney.

The Operators Competition measures professional skills including train operation; knowledge of safety regulations; train equipment; and track right-of-way rules and procedures. First place in the Operators Competition was won by RTD's Robert Dennis. Michael Shepard from Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) of Philadelphia came in second place. The team of Lee-Ann Knight and Ven Rao from BC Rapid Transit (SkyTrain) of Burnaby, British Columbia, took third place honors.

The Maintainers Competition judges the ability to troubleshoot maintenance problems. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) of Los Angeles earned first place with the maintainer team of Glen Abraham, Ronnie Burt, and Eric Czintos. Denver's RTD won second place with the team of Randall Lovegrove and George Sweeney. SEPTA's maintainer team of Ed Carruthers, Mike O'Grady, and Jason Rickert won third place.