WASHINGTON — The independent body that oversees DC Metrorail safety issues has indicated reservations about the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s plan to restore automated operation of Metrorail trains, which was disengaged following a fatal collision in 2009.
The Washington Post reports the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission says it will work with WMATA on the plan, but commission CEO David Mayer said his organization continues “to provide detailed comments and concerns” about the plan.
Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said last week his agency would like to return to automated operation of the Red Line this spring, with the rest of the system to follow, saying it would make for smoother rides and eliminate a number of problems caused by human error [see “DC Metrorail seeks return …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 7, 2022]. Metrorail began as an automated system, but discontinued use of the Auomatic Train Operation system after a June 2009 collision that killed nine people.
The Safety Commission notes the ATO system would be complete new for most current Metrorail employees, and has questions about timelines, training, and infrastrucgure needed for its return.
At its meeting on Tuesday, the safety commission also said it continues to work with Metro on the return of its 7000-series cars, most of which have been sidelined for over a year because of a wheel defect that led to a derailment in October 2021. Some 20 to 30 of those cars have been operating on a daily basis during the last month. But Sharmila Samarasignhe, the commission’s chief operating officer, said data indicates there are specific cars and locations with “unusual interaction between the vehicle and track systems,” the Post reports.
