The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) won the Rail Transit Team Achievement Award at the 21st annual American Public Transportation Association (APTA) International Rail Rodeo held in conjunction with the 2013 APTA Rail Conference in Philadelphia.
The Rail Transit Team Achievement Award is given to the system with the highest rail operator and maintainer team combined score. The winning team members were Rob Brooks, Don Chakov, Nicholas Baldassarre, Adrian Mapp and Sharon Mapp.
Eighteen public transportation systems from across North America competed for this honor, recognizing the men and women who keep rail systems safe and efficient.
“Those who operate and maintain our public transportation systems are the backbone of our industry,” said APTA President/CEO Michael Melaniphy. “They set out every day to make America’s public transportation systems the best anywhere.”
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 Adrian Mapp and Sharon Mapp of SEPTA. Danai Lambert and David Becker of Calif.-based Sacramento Regional Transit District placed second, while Roberta Randolph and Gregory Raspberry from Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority took third-place honors.
The Maintainers’ Competition judges the ability to troubleshoot maintenance problems. N.C.-based Charlotte Area Transit System’s team that earned first place was represented by Charles Truong, Patrick Mills and Eugene Capote. San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit won second place with the team of Carl Ambrose, Edward Christian and Daniel Parris, and the Sound Transit maintainer team of Brian Shupe, James Salisbury and Jack Smith won third place.
The APTA International Rail Rodeo Competition is designed to encourage excellence and professionalism in rail transit operations. The competition was held June 1 at SEPTA’s Fern Rock Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia.
