A blatant disregard for safety put Metro workers and riders at risk — that's the damning conclusion from Metro's general manager after a train blew past a red signal earlier this week and almost collided with another train.

WASHINGTON — A blatant disregard for safety put Metro workers and riders at risk — that’s the damning conclusion from Metro’s general manager after a train blew past a red signal earlier this week and almost collided with another train.

In an internal memo, Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld told all Metro employees Friday that the train operator who almost hit two Metro track inspectors and put the train on course to potentially collide with another passenger train has been fired.

On Tuesday, the train ran a red signal at Glenmont after Wiedefeld said the operator made a series of errors including a failure to properly follow communications protocols.

That issue, along with dozens of trains going through red signals, is something that has been repeatedly raised by outside safety investigators.

“The facts in this matter suggest a blatant disregard for safety that I find profoundly troubling,” Widefeld said in the memo.

“Safety is not a slogan. We hold the lives of people in our hands. Making a choice to ignore safety rules puts those lives at risk,” the memo said.

Read the full memo: