The American Public Transportation Association held its 2019 International Rail Rodeo last week in Toronto where two Light RailLink operators from the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) placed third in the team competition. The operators Earleke Kidd and Eugene Metts competed against 18 other teams, which tests train operation skills, and knowledge of safety regulations, rules and procedures.
“We are very proud to see our operators perform well among their peers in this international competition,” said MDOT MTA Administrator Kevin Quinn. “Their achievement is a testament to years of hard work and dedication to providing our riders with safe, efficient and reliable transit.”
Kidd has been a Light RailLink operator for 19 years and is a past winner of the MDOT MTA Rail Rodeo operator competition. Her husband, Reggie, is also a Light RailLink operator, and their daughter, Antoinette, is a BaltimoreLink bus operator. Metts, a two-time winner of the MDOT MTA Rail Rodeo operator competition, has worked at the agency for 25 years.
The competition encourages excellence and professionalism in rail transit operations. In the operators team contest, a team from the Utah Transit Authority finished first, and a team from the Bay Area Rapid Transit system took second. There were also 15 mechanic teams.
