FTA awards $5 million grant to BART for trackside safety technology

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded a $5 million grant to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to develop new technology that aims to protect trackside workers.

Linked to trains and the BART control center, the new technology would automatically stop an approaching train if a worker did not acknowledge a warning on a safety device, BART officials said in a press release.

"We have high hopes for this project," said BART Board President Tom Blalock. "Not only could it save lives here at BART, but we believe it can also protect track workers at any rail system nationwide once we have successfully demonstrated this technology."

Slated to be developed over a two-year period, the new technology would not only protect trackside workers, but would also help BART decrease delays due to work zones, agency officials said.