Metro has invited the public to join survivors, victims' family members, first responders and others for a ceremony to remember those people who died in the disastrous Red Line crash one year ago. The memorial ceremony will take place near the Fort Totten Metro station at 10 a.m. tomorrow. At 10:30 a.m., Metro will observe a moment of silence throughout Metro systems and calls for the public to pause in reflection. Metro's gestures may come as cold comfort to the relatives who survived the victims in the crash. The Washington Post profiles some of those family members, who have suffered from a lack of closure, owing to stalled lawsuits and the lack of an official explanation for the accident (which is ostensibly coming late next month). Family members protested when Metro failed to consult them about tomorrow's remembrance ceremony. more ›

Almost a year after the National Transportation Safety Board scolded WMATA for failing to heed advice to remove its oldest rail cars from service, the transit agency's board has voted unanimously to approve the purchase of brand new replacement cars. more ›

We're now into day two of the NTSB's public hearing on the deadly June 22 Red Line crash (you can watch the hearing live online), and while the safety board has yet to release its formal conclusions on the cause of the accident, hundreds of pages of documents released to the public on Tuesday provide details on their findings. more ›

Metro on Monday will being testing a new software program designed to provide a real-time back-up to the rail system's crash-avoidance system, Lena Sun reports in the Post. The software was developed by WMATA and Annapolis-based developer ARINC following NTSC recommendations after the deadly June 22 Red Line crash. "With the software, a malfunction will trigger a visual and audio alarm on controllers' screens at Metro's operations center; controllers will be required to acknowledge the alarms." It'll be tested for the first time during Monday's rush hour, with no set timeline on when it might go into full and complete use. more ›

With a big tip of the hat to WTOP, the D.C. Fire/EMS department has just released this 12-minute video about the rescue effort that followed the June 22 Red Line crash, which killed nine people and injured dozens of others.

The video was shot by D.C. Firefighter Vito Maggiolo. more ›

Four and half months after the fatal June 22 Red Line crash and much to the relief of frustrated commuters, Metro announced today that Red Line service near the Fort Totten station has returned to normal. From the press release:

Red Line trains are no longer traveling at reduced speeds or taking turns moving one at a time between the Fort Totten and Takoma Metrorail stations. Maintenance program repairs in the Fort Totten Metrorail station area have been implemented, including replacing original track equipment dating back to the 1970s. more ›

Ongoing track circuit repairs on the Red Line and scheduled maintenance on the Blue, Orange and Yellow Lines this weekend will lead to delays across the Metrorail system. Here's the details: more ›

Metro's scheduled weekend track maintenance, which includes ongoing track circuit repairs on the Red Line as a result of the June 22 crash, will continue to cause delays for Red and Orange Line riders this weekend. more ›

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.

Metro has announced that it will begin work to replace the track circuits at the site of the June 22 Red Line crash starting tonight, with work continuing throughout August. These are the same track circuits that the NTSB has connected to the cause of the accident, though an official cause has yet to be determined. Late night Red Line riders will be forced to contend with numerous schedule changes and station closings as a result of this work. more ›

Yesterday WTOP's Adam Tuss broke the news that Matthew Matyuf, Metro's superintendent of the Automatic Train Control Division, was back on the job for the first time since the June 22 Red Line crash (the Post followed up this morning). Days after the crash, which an ongoing NTSB investigation has tied to a faulty track circuit within the rail system's automatic train controls, Matyuf was reassigned to a "special project," but as of Monday, he's returned to his normal duties. The move turns out to be tied to this piece of news, also from WTOP, that the NTSB is reportedly close to wrapping up the initial part of its investigation and is expected to make a major announcement on its findings in the next couple of days. Matyuf was moved away from his primary assignments in order to "preserve and protect the integrity" of the crash investigation, the Post reports, but now that the most intensive part of that investigation is wrapping up, he's been allowed to get back to work. more ›

The larger Examiner enterprise may be pushing its online platform hot and heavy, but the local D.C. Examiner newspaper's ability to integrate its stories on the web still leaves a whole lot to be desired. Take this story from this morning, with the headline: "Metro builds Web site about faulty track circuits." You might expect to click through to the story and find contained therein the url, and maybe even (don't get too radical now) a hyperlink to the web site that is the entire subject of this story. But no. Nowhere within the version of this story posted online do you find a single hint as to where you might find the actual web site it's talking about. The editorial decision making process here is just bizarre. more ›

One press release we got from WMATA today that wasn't dated 2003 was the announcement that the Takoma Metro station will be open all day, from 5 a.m. to midnight, on both Thursday and Friday. There will, however, still be fewer and slower-moving trains on the Red Line for the next two days. Metro stopped short of promising that the end of the Red Line related to the ongoing NTSB investigation is nearly here, noting that it's still "unclear what the NTSB’s needs may be after Friday." So expect another update before the weekend starts. more ›

In case you missed this nugget in Sunday's Examiner, Kytja Weir reports that the Tri-State Oversight Committee responsible for oversight of WMATA would like to see some proof that Metro's decision to move its older, 1000-series rail cars to the middle of its trains is really making things any safer. The newspaper got hold of a letter sent to Metro on Friday which noted that the committee had previously requested that the agency perform a study to determine whether moving the older rail cars would be prudent way back in November, long before the June 22 crash, but WMATA failed to act on the request. Since no formal study on the effectiveness of moving the rail cars has yet to be performed, the committee is scolding WMATA for going ahead with the plan without enough information. more ›

Red Line delays related to the ongoing NTSB investigation will continue through at least Thursday morning's rush hour, Metro announced on Sunday night. The last time WMATA gave us an estimate for how much longer delays affecting the Red Line due to the June 22 crash would go on, they offered July 19 as the best case scenario, but it seems that was overly optimistic. Metro's announcement also makes it plain that they can't be sure that Thursday will be the end of it: "At this point, it is unclear what the NTSB's needs may be after Thursday morning’s rush hour and the impact on Metrorail service. In the meantime, passengers can expect that their trips may take an additional 30 minutes or possibly more to complete, and they should build that added time into their plans." The delays are caused by trains being forced to move one at a time at a reduced speed between Takoma and Fort Totten, while investigators continue their work at the crash site. more ›

Metro will close the Takoma Metro station today from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and again on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. as part of the ongoing NTSB investigation. From WMATA: "While the Takoma Metrorail station is closed, the Red Line will be divided into two segments, with trains running between the Glenmont and Silver Spring Metrorail stations, and between the Fort Totten and Shady Grove Metrorail stations. Shuttle buses will take riders around the accident investigation work, and make stops at the Fort Totten, Takoma and Silver Spring Metrorail stations."
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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. more ›

The Takoma Metro station will stay open all night, through 3 a.m. tonight, WMATA has announced, offering a brief reprieve from the ongoing 10 p.m. closures due to the investigation into the Red Line crash. No need to disembark from Red Line trains and avail yourselves of shuttle buses tonight, as the NTSB is taking a night off. The 10 p.m. closures will return again on Saturday night. more ›

A lot of you have been asking us when the Red Line will start running its normal number of trains and at regular speeds during rush hour, and today Metro offered an answer of sorts: it's going to be another 10 days, at a minimum. WMATA says Red Line riders should expect the same packed trains through July 19, thanks to ongoing reduced rush hour service during the NTSB investigation of the June 22 crash. Between now and July 19, Red Line trains will continue to move one at a time at a reduced speed between Takoma and Fort Totten, which is the source of most of the current Red Line troubles -- fewer trains can move along the line due to the change, and trains can more easily become backed up. The Takoma station will also continue to close at 10 p.m. for at least the next 10 nights as investigators continue their work. There's no guarantee in this Metro announcement that July 19 will be the last of it, either. Merely, word is that July 19 is the best case scenario. more ›

WTOP's Adam Tuss reports today that two more lawsuits have been filed in the last week against both WMATA and deceased Metro operator Jeanice McMillan in the wake of the Red Line crash. Attorney Michael Wilson is handling cases for Jason Zimmerman of Silver Spring and David Holland of Burtonsville, both of whom are claiming "mental anguish," as well as injuries to their necks and backs. Zimmerman is seeking $400,000 in damages, Holland $500,000. We're sure that this won't be the end of legal troubles for WMATA (or Ms. McMillan's estate) -- a mere two weeks after the accident, the number of civil filings currently numbers four, including two filed in short order after the deadly crash. Tuss also notes that Metro fully expected the suits, and that the transit agency's "liability reserve" will be able to cover any damages awarded as a result. more ›

WMATA says we should continue to expect the Takoma Metro station to close early, at 10 p.m., both tonight and Tuesday night. They've been issuing these warnings piece-meal as decisions are made, only giving us the status for the next couple of days at a time. Tuesday could be the last night of early closings due to the ongoing Red Line Crash investigation, or we could see another advisory on Tuesday for the rest of the week. We'll keep you posted. more ›

Red Line trains returned to full speed this morning for the first time since last week's fatal crash. With the exception of when trains are passing through the crash site, between the Takoma and Fort Totten stations, The Post reports that Red Line trains can now go as fast as 59 mph, after having been kept at 35 mph for the last week. Metrorail and Metrobus are operating on a modified Saturday schedule today. more ›

The National Transportation Safety Board has put up a second advisory today on its web site regarding the most recent findings of its investigation of the June 22 Red Line crash. In it, we learn for the first time that the train control system track circuit where the accident occurred -- the same one that investigators initially found to be not functioning properly after testing it during the first couple of days after the crash -- was replaced by WMATA maintenance crews on June 17, five days before the accident. From the advisory:

After a post- accident review of recorded track circuit data, WMATA reported to the NTSB that the track circuit periodically lost its ability to detect trains after June 17th; the NTSB is reviewing documentation on the performance of that track circuit both before and after the June 17th replacement.

That didn't take long. Bill Myers reports in the Examiner that Ivey Epps and her mother, Bernea Bell, filed a $100 million lawsuit against Metro on Monday. The two women are seeking damages based on "severe and painful injuries" resulting from last week's deadly Red Line crash, and claim Metro officials are at fault for not inspecting the system's brakes and not replacing the 1000 Series cars. Note the description included of their attorney: "The suit was brought by Florida attorney Willie Gary, whom the Wall Street Journal once dubbed "flamboyant" for his private jet, posh offices and luxury cars. He won a $240 million verdict in an infringement case against Walt Disney Corp. In litigation against communications company Motorola, Gary once asked for $93 million in fees -- about $11,000 an hour. "This is a very sad and unfortunate occurrence," Gary said in a news release." UPDATE: A reader points out in comments that this is not the first lawsuit to be filed. more ›

A man was struck and killed by a Red Line train at the Forest Glen station at just after 4:15 p.m. today. The man was struck by an eight-car train heading in the direction of Shady Grove. Preliminary reports indicate that the individual intentionally put himself on the track. Trains are currently single tracking between Forest Glen and Silver Spring. Given this incident's timing with the rush hour and the continued slowdown on the Red Line in the wake of last week's deadly crash, customers are being told to expect lengthy delays. That seems like an understatement. more ›

The Red Line may be running its entire route in both directions now, but the ongoing NTSB investigation continues to affect service near the crash site. Metro has announced that the Takoma Metro station will close at 10 p.m. tonight, Tuesday and Wednesday, and possibly more days later this week, to allow investigators access to the area. The station will reopen at 5 a.m. every morning, at its regular time. While the Takoma station is closed between 10 p.m. and midnight, the Red Line will run only from Glenmont to Silver Spring and then from Fort Totten to Shady Grove. Shuttle buses will take riders around the closed station.
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If you've get questions you'd like Metro General Manager John Catoe to answer about Monday's fatal Red Line crash, head over to his live chat, which started at 2:30 p.m. and lasts for an hour. Submit questions here. more ›

There had been some speculation about whether Jeanice McMillan, the Metro operator who lost her life in Monday's Red Line crash, had been using her cell phone at the time of the collision, but Metro says she wasn't, WTOP reports. "We know where her cell phone was -- it was not on her. It was in a backpack," Metro General Manager John Catoe said. Investigators have also reportedly found evidence on the rails at the crash site that the brakes were activated several hundred feet before impact. more ›

The news coming out of this morning's Metro Board meeting is that WMATA agreed to move all the older model, 1000-series rail cars to the middle of its trains. General Manager John Catoe announced the change, in addition to reiterating that all trains will continue operating manually until all of the system's track sensors are inspected. The board today also made a big show of declaring the total replacement of all the 1000-series rail cars as a "top priority." The passengers who died on Monday were riding in a 1000-series car that struck a newer model car from behind at a high rate of speed. The NTSB has already pointed the finger at Metro for the 1000-series car being responsible for making this crash more deadly than it might otherwise have been. more ›

Well this is the most disturbing thing I've run across today, and I watched that entire Mark Sanford press conference debacle. WTOP reports that the family of Ana Fernandez, one of the victims of Monday's fatal Metro crash, has been getting hate-filled phone calls from people questioning whether she and her family are legal immigrants. No one has ever questioned Fernandez's immigration status, and a family member has already told the media that all six of her now motherless children were born in the United States and full U.S. citizens, but still, the sort of people who watch Lou Dobbs are calling their home and harassing them, just because their last name is Hispanic. Here's hoping the people making those calls never have to deal with a terrible family tragedy. Jackals. more ›