The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has issued Safety Directive 16-6 to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) requiring the authority to secure all unattended rail vehicles in its Metrorail system.
The directive is based on a Rail Vehicle Securement Investigation Report that uncovered a lack of compliance with WMATA’s rules and procedures for unattended rail vehicle securement for both revenue passenger trains and maintenance machines and equipment located in rail yards. The investigation focused on the three areas of redundant securement for rail vehicle storage, rules and procedures, and employee training.
Some of the key safety findings include: WMATA does not provide for redundant protection when securing unattended rail vehicles; WMATA’s rules and procedures are unclear and ambiguous; and employees are not provided with adequate training and accurate training materials on how to properly secure vehicles.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said, “Preventing unintended movement of rail vehicles is fundamental to safety and WMATA needs to do more to eliminate these types of incidents from happening. Verifying that a train has been properly secured is a common sense solution to prevent accidents.”
The FTA initiated this investigation in light of safety concerns and because of three specific incidents that occurred on WMATA property, including an empty, two-car Metrorail train that rolled away in the New Carrollton rail yard in December 2015. Unsecured and unattended trains or equipment can move in rail yards and on the mainline track, creating the potential for collisions with other trains, equipment or workers.
“These incidents at WMATA amplify the need for the proper use of safety and securement devices to prevent unintended train movements that can cause accidents,” stated FTA Acting Administrator Carolyn Flowers. “WMATA must revise, and its employees must observe, its operating rules to ensure proper and safe securement of rail vehicles.”
As directed by Safety Directive 16-6, WMATA must develop corrective action plans to address the new findings of the report. The proposed plans are subject to FTA approval, and FTA will monitor the agency’s progress to implement the safety improvements.