Rail Safety Spotlight: Ben Bolei
In honor of Rail Safety Week, meet four RTD employees who always put safety first
During Rail Safety Week, taking place Sept. 15–21, RTD is joining communities across North America to raise awareness about the importance of staying safe around trains and railroad crossings. At RTD, safety is more than a priority. It’s also part of our everyday culture.
Throughout the week, RTD staff will be out at stations across metro Denver to engage with customers, answer questions and share tips on how to stay safe near rail lines. With 10 rail lines covering more than 114 miles, we’re committed to making every mile as safe as possible.
To mark this important week, we’re highlighting four exceptional team members who go above and beyond to ensure safety in their roles.
Meet Ben Bolei with Commuter Rail Operations
“Commuter Rail MOW would like to recognize Signal Maintainer Ben Bolei, who was performing an inspection at 104th Station when he heard shouting on the platform. He observed a fight between two individuals, and one of them had been knocked down onto the tactile strip at the edge of the platform. Bolei quickly got on the radio to announce ‘emergency, emergency, emergency’ so that any approaching trains would not pull into the platform, and he notified dispatch of the fight. Police were quickly dispatched to the location and resolved the issue.”
-Brady L Hollaway (General Superintendent, Infrastructure and MOW, Commuter Rail)
How did you join RTD, and what is your role?
Originally, my brother and childhood friend were both working as rail laborers at Light Rail MOW. They both told me how much they enjoyed their jobs and that there were plenty of opportunities to learn new skills. Not long after, I joined them as a rail laborer. A couple of years later, I saw there were multiple job openings at North Metro Commuter Rail. I and a few others decided to see what opportunities the new commuter rail line would have for us. I started at the N Line as a rail laborer, and in 2021 I was promoted to a signal maintainer.
How do you think about safety as it relates to your work?
Safety is the core reason signal maintainers exist. As it has been explained to me by many others, you don't need signal maintainers to move a train. However, the purpose of a signal maintainer is to provide safety to the train crew, passengers and public while a train is in motion on our rail lines. We maintain the crossings that warn the public of oncoming trains. We maintain the switches that direct train movement. And most importantly, we maintain the track circuits that indicate where trains are located. Knowing where a train is located helps us make sure the train safely arrives at its next destination.