The top federal transportation safety official on Thursday slammed Washington's regional transit authority, saying a “poor safety culture” led to an October 2021 derailment and grounding hundreds of new Metro cars. criticized.
The National Transportation Safety Board's final report on the incident concluded that the Washington Regional Metropolitan Transportation Authority had long been aware of a safety issue that caused the wheels on the subway's new 7000 series cars to be wider than the tracks. . But NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said there was insufficient communication within the organization and the agency was not acting with appropriate urgency.
“This incident was 100% preventable,” Homendy said at a press conference. “We're really lucky this didn't end in tragedy.”
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On October 12, 2021, an eight-car train fell off the tracks on the Blue Line subway near Arlington National Cemetery. Some passengers were trapped in dark cars in the tunnel and had to evacuate on foot, but there were no major injuries.
Homendy said the 2021 train appears to have derailed once earlier in the day, then reconnected to the rails on its own, before derailing a second time. On Thursday, she said further analysis revealed two separate accidents in which train cars briefly derailed and then repaired themselves.
The derailment and subsequent investigation helped accelerate the firing of former WMATA general manager Paul Wiedefeld. Wiedefeld announced his July 2022 retirement date, two months early in 2022, amid revelations that half of WMATA's train drivers did not undergo the retraining or testing required to recertify. He retired in May. Mr. Wiedefeld currently serves as Maryland's Secretary of Transportation.
A train arrives at Metro Center Station in Washington, DC, on April 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Patrick Semanski, File)
Although he did not mention Wiedefeld by name, Homendy appeared to place much of the blame on the administration. He praised new general manager Randy Clark for embracing the investigative process and implementing a rigorous inspection regime when replacing wheel sets on 748 vehicles.
“I want to commend Randy Clark for taking this matter seriously,” Homendy said. “You don’t necessarily know that during an investigation.”
The 7000 series vehicles, which account for about 60% of the fleet, are gradually returning to service and are subject to monthly inspections. So far he has had 199 of his 2,992 wheelsets replaced.
WMATA said in a statement: “We fully support the NTSB derailment report and thank everyone involved in the investigation for their leadership and thoughtful approach. We appreciate the cooperation and professionalism of the NTSB and WMSC (Washington Metrorail Safety Commission). “It's critical to our capabilities.” Thank you for moving this process forward and for recognizing our proactive efforts. ”
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However, a battle looms over whether WMATA or automaker Kawasaki will pay for the repairs. A statement from WMATA said the agency “issued a vehicle defect notice to Kawasaki in connection with our performance-based contract. Under the contract, Kawasaki will cover all costs to correct the defect in this wheelset. be responsible for paying.”
Transportation officials estimated the cost of repairs at $55 million.
Kawasaki said in a statement that WMATA is responsible for providing inaccurate instructions, confusing communications and failing to inform Kawasaki of pressing issues despite evidence dating back to 2014. Stated.
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“While we understand the budget crisis WMATA is facing, any suggestion that Kawasaki should absorb the cost of WMATA's own failure of the 7000 series train wheel sets is rooted in reality,” the company said in a statement. Not,” he said. “The mismanagement by WMATA under previous leadership cited in the NTSB's final report should come as no surprise to those who have followed the agency.”
