Investigators work at the site where two Red Line Metrorail trains collided with one another between the Fort Totten and Takoma Park stations during last evening’s rush hour on June 23, 2009 in Washington, DC. At least nine people died and dozens were injured in the crash. (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)
Yesterday marked the fifth anniversary of the collision between two Red Line trains that left nine people dead, dozens injured and a region with the startling reality of what had become of the local transit system.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the partial cause of the crash to be defective track circuit modules, leaving the train under automatic control unable to detect the stopped train. Trains have been manually operated since then. NTSB also criticized Metro for “an anemic safety culture.”
The NTSB released a set of safety recommendations, the majority of which have been closed. Five years later, there are seven open recommendations, including the removal of all 1,000-series cars, implementing “a program to monitor the performance of onboard event recorders and ensure they are functioning properly,” and implementing “a non-punitive safety reporting program to collect reports from employees in all divisions.”
Metro spokesperson Dan Stessel said the agency has closed 22 recommendations, and “those that remain are generally longer-lead items, such as the replacement of 1000-series cars with 7000-series cars. Work continues to close the remaining items.”
