LIRR wins APTA's top safety award

MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) yesterday announced that it received the American Public Transportation Association's Gold Award for Safety.

The railroad was recognized for its incident prevention task force that includes a senior safety officer and a Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) police officer who combat trespassers, illegal debris dumping and encroachment along tracks systemwide, LIRR officials said in a press release.

The task force conducts biannual inspections of LIRR's right of way, performs trend analyses and coordinates immediate respond to complaints along tracks.

"Over the years, the task force has identified critical locations for high security fencing, and continues to broaden our reach for public education as we expand our system," LIRR President Phillip Eng said.