Results tagged “metrorail”

In a follow up to the Washington Post's big scoop last week regarding a narrowly avoided Metrorail train collision back in March, the paper updates today with word from the National Transportation Safety Board that Metro did in fact inform them of the earlier incident the day after the June 22 Red Line crash. Previously, the NTSB had said that they had not heard about the March incident from Metro.

After a more detailed review, NTSB spokeswoman Bridget Serchak said in an e-mail, the board found that information about the March incident had been "provided verbally by an employee of [Metro] on June 23, 2009 to the NTSB accident investigation team during a progress meeting" about the Red Line crash. No details of the March incident were provided to the NTSB at that time, they said.

In related news, WJLA scored an interview with newly confirmed NTSB chair Debbie Hersman, the board spokesperson who wowed local reporters with her calm and knowledgeable press conferences in the wake of the Red Line crash. Hersman notes that many NTSB staffers ride Metro every day, so this particular accident really hits home for them. And there's this fun detail: "Chairman Hersman believes it's important to have first hand knowledge of what she's making recommendations about, so she is licensed to drive large trucks, motorcycles and school buses. Her next goal is to obtain a pilot's license."

Early word from WMATA that a person was struck by an Orange Line train at the West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metro station at 11:18 a.m. The six-car train was headed in the direction of New Carrollton when it struck a person who was on the tracks as the train pulled into the station. Trains are now sharing one track through the station, which will likely result in delays of up to 30 minutes on the Orange Line until mid-afternoon. No word yet on who the person was, their condition or whether they were on the tracks intentionally. UPDATE 12:04 p.m.: Metro now says that preliminary reports indicate the train struck a male customer who was on the tracks intentionally. UPDATE 12:14 p.m. WMATA confirms the man has died.

Metro is hosting a public meeting tonight to gather input from riders on how to improve bicycle and pedestrian access to Metrorail. If you walk or bike to Metro or have even just thought about doing so, WMATA encourages you to show up at Metro Headquarters (in the Lobby Level Meeting Room at 600 5th Street NW) from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. tonight to offer your feedback. They are especially interested in hearing from cyclists, as one of the main purposes of the bicycle and pedestrian study they're conducting is to look at how Metro can make improvements to bicycle access. Tonight's public workshop comes at a difficult time to be gathering public opinion on Metrorail, given the latest news on the reliability of the system's track sensors.

The National Transportation Safety Board today issued what it's calling an "urgent safety recommendation" to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, based on the preliminary findings of its investigation into the fatal June 22 Red Line crash. Despite the fact that the investigation has not yet concluded and the NTSB has yet to say officially what they believe was the cause of the accident, they have gone ahead and told WMATA that the transit agency needs to adopt "enhanced safety redundancy" of its train control system. Here's what they said:

A recent accident on the Metrorail's Red Line between the Fort Totten and Takoma stations has shown that WMATA's train control system is susceptible to a single point failure because it did not fail safe and stop a train when detection of a preceding train was lost. The urgent safety recommendation issued today calls for WMATA to evaluate track occupancy data on a real-time basis in order to detect losses in track occupancy and automatically generate alerts to prompt such actions as immediately stopping train movements or implementing appropriate speed restrictions to prevent collisions.

Continue reading "WMATA: Trains Will Operate in Manual Mode For a Long Time"

Happy Hot as Hell Tuesday, everyone. Yes, it's going to 100 degrees today, with a heat index up around 110. The best advice is to stay inside whenever possible during what we like to call our Heat Emergency, but if you have to be outdoors, the National Weather Service advises drinking plenty of water, planning activities outside for the morning or evening and wearing loose, light-colored clothing and a hat. It's unfortunate that the current...