Operation Lifesaver announces rail safety grants

Operation Lifesaver Inc. (OLI) announced $200,000 in grants will be awarded to 12 state Operation Lifesaver programs for rail-crossing safety and anti-trespassing public education projects.

Offered in partnership with the Federal Railroad Administration, the grants will be awarded to Operation Lifesaver organizations in Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee and Washington, OLI officials said in a press release.

Individual awards will range from $1,800 to $20,000.

"These important grants will support the strategic rail safety efforts in 12 of Operation Lifesaver's state programs, with a goal to further Operation Lifesaver’s mission of eliminating collisions, injuries and deaths at crossings and along rail property," said OLI President and Chief Executive Officer Bonnie Murphy.

The grants were awarded through a competitive process. Selection criteria included how the organization will leverage the federal dollars with private partnerships, targeted messaging and the frequency of pedestrian-train incidents and highway-rail collisions.

OLI plans to announce the results of similar grant programs for grade crossing safety and rail transit safety education projects later this year, Murphy said.