WASHINGTON — The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has received approval to resume use of its automated operating system on one Metrorail line — possibly as soon as Sunday — in a precursor to restoring Automatic Train Operation systemwide in 2025.
The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission approved restoration of automated operation on Metro’s Red Line at a meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 10, the Washington Post reports. Previously, the commission — an independent body in charge of safety oversight of the WMATA rail system — had voiced reservations about a return to automation.
With that approval in hand, ATO could be in operation as soon as Sunday, Dec. 15, agency officials said. WMATA recently demonstrated the system to the media to show it was ready.
The ATO system has been disengaged since a fatal accident in 2009, although the system was eventually found not to be at fault in the collision that killed nine people and injured 80 others. WMATA had hoped to restore ATO in December 2023, saying it would decrease errors that result from human operation and create a more efficient system [see “DC Metrorail continues preparations …,” Trains News Wire, March 7, 2023]. But in August of last year, the safety commission said there had been significant issues during testing and that the system was not yet ready for operation.
WMATA and the commission had worked together on the project since then, the Post reports, with safety commission CEO David Mayer praising the transit agency for its “hard work and collaborative efforts” during Tuesday’s meeting. The commission will still have to approve expansion of ATO — which has been a feature of Metrorail since the opening of its first segment in 1976 — to the rest of the 129-mile, six-line system.
Among the issues encountered during the preparation for the return of ATO was its use, without authorization, by a train operator in March 2023. The operator, who was subsequently fired, admitted to trying the system out of curiosity, but was caught when his train overshot one station stop, triggering an investigation [see “Metrorail rail operator who used automated system is out …,” News Wire, April 12, 2023].
More on the ATO system is available on the WMATA website.
