Public Transit Systems Are The 'Unsung Heroes' Of September 11, 2001

Contact: Leslee Hamilton
408-924-7564
hamilton@mti.sjsu.edu

September 11, 2003 San Jose, CA – A new Mineta Transportation Institute report, Saving City Lifelines: Lessons Learned in the 9-11 Terrorist Attacks, by Brian Michael Jenkins and Frances Edwards-Winslow, Ph.D, CEM sheds light on the role played by New York and Washington, D.C. transit agencies and emergency responders during 9-11. The research team worked to capture lessons learned via interviews with key transit authorities and public officials and the review of plans made prior to and reports completed after the events.

The report is available online at http://www.transweb.sjsu.edu/publications/Sept11.pdf.

What emerged from this investigation was a clear sense that public transit agencies were the unsung heroes of the 9-11 attacks. From their role in saving passengers' lives and evacuating Lower Manhattan to delivering rescue workers and heavy equipment to Ground Zero and providing communications capacity, the transit agencies played a vital role in rescue and recovery work. Valiant efforts resulted in system repairs and the establishment of new service in fractions of the usual required time, greatly assisting New York’s economic recovery.

According to Principal Investigator Brian Michael Jenkins, "as in battle, unforeseen developments, communications failures, and moments of confusion following the 9-11 attacks complicated response efforts, but overall, the managers and employees of New York’s transportation system performed with extraordinary effectiveness -- indeed, with heroism."

Frances Edwards-Winslow adds, "the report's major conclusion is that New York’s transportation network worked as well as it did on September 11th because city and transportation authorities had taken an all-hazards approach to emergency preparedness, recognized the threat of terrorism, and continued the effort to prepare and practice for possible terrorist attacks."

This report is a continuation of the transportation security work begun by MTI in 1996. This report is not an audit of performance, but rather a distillation of lessons learned for use in planning response to future terrorist attacks or natural disasters.

The Mineta Transportation Institute was established by Congress at San José State University as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 and focuses on international surface transportation policy issues via research, education, and information transfer.

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