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The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) won the Rail Transit Team Achievement Award at the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) 19th annual International Rail Rodeo competition held June 11 in Boston.

The Rail Transit Team award recognizes the transit system with the highest rail operator and maintainer team’s combined score, APTA officials said in a prepared statement. The winning team members were WMATA operators Charlie Richardson and Danielle Glass, and maintainers Adrian Tase, Roland Lamar and Jacob Stout.

Twelve public transportation teams from across North America competed for the honor.

Steve Portney of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority won first place in the operators competition, which measures skills such as train operation, as well as knowledge of safety regulations, train equipment, and right-of-way rules and procedures. WMATA operators Richardson and Glass placed second; and Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority team members John Hall and Michael Shepard took third place.

At the maintainers competition, in which judges measure maintenance troubleshooting, Bay Area Rapid Transit District team members Carl Ambrose, Ted Christian and Dan Parris earned first place. Regional Transportation District of Denver team members Randall Lovegrove and George Sweeney came in second; and WMATA team members Tase, Lamar and Stout took third place.

The International Rail Rodeo is designed to “encourage excellence and professionalism in rail transit operations,” APTA officials said.