Getty Feds seize control of D.C.’s Metrorail safety

Federal regulators are taking control of safety oversight for Washington, D.C.'s troubled Metrorail system, a sharp indictment of problems the agency hasn't been able to get a handle on for years.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said the Federal Transit Administration will immediately assert its authority over the rail system until D.C., Maryland and Virginia establish a functional oversight body. FTA's powers will include the ability to conduct unannounced inspections, and to order the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to spend federal money to correct problems.


The enhanced federal oversight will continue until D.C., Maryland and Virginia establish an “compliant and capable” agency to oversee safety, which is now handled by a body called the Tri-State Oversight Committee.

“WMATA must also immediately hire a capable General Manager who is able to correct the course at the transit agency,” Foxx wrote.

In a statement, Metro Interim General Manager and CEO Jack Requa said WMATA will keep working with FTA to correct safety concerns and is “fully engaged” in implementing actions to rectify them.

“We appreciate Secretary Foxx’s continued support and his leadership on safety oversight,” he said.

By ridership, WMATA is the second largest transit system in the country. Its problems include a January incident in which a Metro rail car filled with smoke in January, killing one passenger at the L'Enfant Plaza station, but it has also taken heavy criticism for a host of maintenance woes.

Foxx's announcement came in a letter to Christopher Hart, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, which had recommended that the department take an even more dramatic step: shift federal safety responsibilities for Metro from FTA to the Federal Railroad Administration.

"We agree that the [Tri-State Oversight Committee], as currently established, is ineffective," Foxx wrote. "We disagree, however, that the best, most urgent and most effective solution is to transfer safety oversight of WMATA's rail transit system to the Federal Railroad Administration."

Congress granted FTA enhanced safety authority in the 2012 transportation bill, allowing it to step in when state oversight agencies responsible for transit safety are ineffective, Foxx said. FTA has already issued a safety directive to WMATA and "will now directly enforce and investigate" safety oversight of the agency's rail function, he said.

"By contrast, the NTSB recommendation shifts oversight from one agency to another one, creating confusion and a greater risk of slowing down improvements," Foxx said. "More practically, WMATA does not have an understanding or familiarity with FRA regulations, and separating their rail and bus oversight into different regulatory structures would confuse and likely delay safety improvements."

Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said in a statement that she and Foxx appear to be “on the same page,” though she plans to continue working on legislative language addressing the NTSB recommendation that could come up during debate on a multi-year highway and transit bill later this month.

“The FTA may be able to proceed on its own, but I will continue to work with my Republican colleagues and the Administration on appropriate language to be included in the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization bill,” she said.

This article tagged under: Washington D.C.

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