Senators move to boost DC Metro safety in highway bill

A group of senators who represent parts of the Washington, D.C. suburbs in Maryland and Virginia are moving to boost the safety of the capital area’s Metrorail subway system in a must-pass highway bill that Congress is debating this week. 

Sens. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) filed an amendment to the multiyear transportation funding bill that is being considered in the Senate that would give the Federal Transit Administration greater authority over Metro and other transit systems in the nation. 

The measure would also allow the transit regulatory agency to have a greater say in appointments to the Metro Board of Directors. 

{mosads}The sponsors of the amendment said they were compelled to move to improve the federal government’s oversight of the D.C. Metro system by a deadly incident earlier this year that involved a train on the agency’s Yellow Line becoming filled with smoke in a subway tunnel, killing a passenger. 

“More than six months after the tragedy at L’Enfant Plaza, a number of federal agencies – including the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Transit Administration, and the Government Accountability Office – have continued to identify numerous problems with Metro’s safety – some of them potentially life-threatening, and all of them troubling,” Warner said in a statement. 

“At this point, it’s obvious that the only way to turn Metro around is to start at the top,” he continued. “The system desperately needs strong leadership on the Board and a change agent as General Manager who will shake up the system and prioritize safety, accountability and transparency. It’s clear that, as Metro works to get its act together, the Federal Transit Administration also needs to put in place commonsense safety measures and ensure that riders can feel safe stepping onto a Metro train or bus.”

Sen. Mikulski agreed, saying “our amendment will make Metro safer for its riders and workers.  

“It strengthens and expands the U.S. Department of Transportation’s authority to establish safety standards beyond the physical railcars to include the day-to-day operations of Metro,” Mikulski said. “I will not rest until Metro produces safety results.  That’s why this amendment also gives the U.S. Transportation Secretary the authority to name federal representatives the Metro Board.  We need strong leadership on the Board to attract strong leadership at Metro.”

Current rules allow the FTA to set safety standards for subway cars, but the agency has little control over the other parts of the operation of subway systems.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which operates Metro, has come under fire from lawmakers and regulators for its handling of the January smoke incident.  

On Jan. 12, a Yellow Line train that was heading toward Northern Virginia had its progress halted by an electrical issue, killing one passenger and trapping hundreds of others underground in smoke-filled cars.

The incident resulted in Metro’s first passenger fatality since a high-profile crash on the agency’s Red Line in 2009 that killed nine people and led to widespread changes at the capital-area transit agency.

Kaine and Cardin said Wednesday that it is time for the federal government to play a better role in overseeing Metro, which is the nation’s second busiest subway system. 

“In recent months, tragic incidents and disturbing reports on Metro’s safety deficiencies have underscored the need for additional action,” Kaine said. 

“These new standards will give WMATA helpful guidance as it takes steps to improve its culture of safety,” he continued. “Furthermore, this would grant the Secretary of Transportation the authority to issue emergency orders to WMATA to immediately implement certain safety measures, which will help avoid dangerous situations and allow Metro employees to raise concerns about any shortcomings in safety practices. I am confident that this amendment will help WMATA as it works to improve the Metro system.”

Cardin agreed, saying “Metro matters far too much to too many people to turn our backs on it. But too often we have seen the lack of oversight and basic safety standards at WMATA put lives at great risk. 

“The federal government has a special responsibility to ensure safety is always the highest priority for our transit systems and the millions of commuters, residents, tourists, students and business people who rely on them,” he said. “I know, and Metro riders know that there needs to be more focus on safety and accountability on our nation’s second busiest rapid transit system. This amendment moves Metro closer to where it should be to properly serve its ridership.”