25 Years Ago, America’s Transit Workers Answered the Call

On September 11, 2001, transportation workers across the country suddenly found themselves facing a crisis unlike anything they had ever experienced.

In New York, transit workers helped evacuate thousands from Lower Manhattan. PATH employees helped get passengers away from the World Trade Center, while New York City Transit employees brought buses, trains, equipment and thousands of workers into the recovery effort that followed.

In Washington, Metro employees kept the region moving after the attack on the Pentagon. Metrorail and Metrobus evacuated people while employees worked to protect passengers, respond to changing security threats and maintain service amid unprecedented disruption.

Across the country, transit workers evacuated downtown areas, helped stranded travelers get home after commercial aviation was grounded, and provided transportation for people who suddenly found themselves far from where they needed to be.

They did what transit workers have always done. They moved people.

The response of America's transportation workers reminds us that transit is more than vehicles, tracks and stations. It’s people serving people, especially when their communities need them most.

On this 25th anniversary of September 11, we remember the people who lost their lives, honor the first responders and recovery workers who answered the call, and pay tribute to the transportation workers whose courage and dedication helped America move forward.