The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced in a letter to the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia departments of transportation and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) that it will use up to $900,000 from funds allocated to those agencies to conduct Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrorail safety oversight work.
The FTA plans to use the funds to hire contractors to participate in the FTA’s oversight work and to eventually transfer that knowledge to the new Metrorail Safety Commission (MSC). The funds are part of a $1.6 million federal allocation intended for use by MWCOG to create the MSC.
The three jurisdictions fully deploy the MSC, which then becomes certified as a State Safety Oversight Agency (SSOA). FTA will begin utilizing the funds immediately. Any funds not used will be made available to the jurisdictions for future SSOA purposes.
“As D.C., Maryland and Virginia work to stand up the Metrorail Safety Commission, they will need the right people in place with the knowledge, skill, and expertise to effectively oversee Metrorail safety on day one,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “This action will give them immediate access to competent personnel who have already been on the ground inspecting safety at WMATA.”
The FTA contractors will perform inspection, investigation and other oversight activities. The information will then be transferred to the new SSOA once it is established.
FTA Acting Administrator Carolyn Flowers stated, “The jurisdictions’ daily involvement in FTA’s oversight of Metrorail will provide valuable knowledge that will expedite the transition of oversight responsibilities from FTA to the new SSOA. By taking this action now, it will further invest D.C., Maryland and Virginia in developing and strengthening the new WMATA State Safety Oversight Agency.”
The FTA assumed the direct, but temporary, safety oversight role over the WMATA Metrorail system in October 2015.
FTA’s role will continue until the TOC is replaced with a new State Safety Oversight Agency that complies with federal law and is capable of performing its WMATA Metrorail safety oversight responsibilities.