Thanks, in part to temporary, direct and robust safety oversight of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA) Metrorail system by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), WMATA is implementing needed safety changes, but it must do more, FTA Executive Director Matthew Welbes recently testified before a U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform panel.
“While FTA has seen improvements at WMATA, significant work remains to bring the Metrorail system into a state of good repair, develop and improve WMATA’s safety culture, and improve WMATA’s financial outlook,” Welbes stated. “WMATA must continue to prioritize safety over service, and commit to providing customers and workers with the assurance that their safety is the first priority.”
Since October 2015, the FTA has published investigation reports identifying systemic safety problems at WMATA, issued safety directives requiring specific corrective actions and conducted more than 300 inspections across the Metrorail system requiring more than 900 remedial actions, two-thirds of which have been addressed. In a number of instances, FTA inspections identified operating practices and track conditions that have led WMATA to impose immediate orders to slow trains or close track entirely, to protect passengers and workers from unsafe conditions.
