San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency wins Operators Competition

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) won the prestigious Rail Transit Team Achievement Award at the 16th Annual American Public Transportation Association (APTA) International Rail Rodeo, held in conjunction with the 2008 APTA Rail Conference in San Francisco this week. LA Metro winning team members are: Eric Czintos, Ronnie Burt, Toshimasa Manaka, Robert Rodriguez and Geronimo Young.

Eighty-one contestants from 20 rail systems competed for this honor, recognizing the men and women who keep North America’s rail systems safe and efficient. The system with the highest rail operator and maintainer team combined score is awarded the Team Achievement Award.

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 went to San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency; the winning operators were Chi Ki Hau and Jason Lao. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority came in second, and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority placed third.

The Maintainers Competition judges the ability to troubleshoot maintenance problems.  Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority earned first place in this competition for the second year in a row.  The winning maintainers were Eric Czintos, Ronnie Burt, and Toshimasa Manaka. San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit won second place again, and Metro St. Louis came in third place. 

The APTA International Rail Rodeo Competition is designed to encourage excellence and professionalism in rail transit operations.  The competition was held on May 31 at Muni Metro East in San Francisco.