New WMATA safety plan immediately followed by FTA safety directive

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
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New third rail insulators are brought into Federal Center Southwest Station.
WMATA

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) issued an urgent safety directive to Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) just one day after the agency released a plan aimed at improving safety and maintenance on its rail system.

 

WMATA’s SafeTrack is a year-long program that includes 15 “safety surges” that WMATA says will accelerate maintenance on its rail system from the ballast up. WMATA says that by closing the system at midnight on weekends and expanding weekday maintenance opportunities, the plan addresses FTA and National Transportation Safety Board safety recommendations and deferred maintenance backlogs while restoring track infrastructure to good health.

“This plan is going to take some sacrifice from all of us,” WMATA General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Paul Wiedefeld said. “But it is clear that the current approach is not working, more aggressive action is necessary.”

SafeTrack was announced May 6. On May 7, FTA issued its safety directive following a fire and life safety event that occurred on WMATA’s system on May 5. FTA called WMATA personnel’s response to the May 5 incident “slow and inadequate.” The May 5 incident occurred at Federal Center Southwest Station and early reports point to a third rail insulator explosion that damaged track and sprayed metal and ceramic projectiles onto the station platform.

WMATA’s safety and maintenance efforts have been under a spotlight following a January 2015 smoke and fire incident where one person was killed and 91 others were injured.

In the latest directive, FTA said of the May 5 incident that WMATA did not notify FTA of the event, that following the explosion, an operations supervisor at the scene conducted only a cursory inspection before clearing the damaged track to return to service and when WMATA maintenance personnel arrived and requested permission from the Rail Operations Control Center (ROCC) to have the track taken out of service and power removed from the third rail, permission was denied and not granted until several hours later and a second fire at the station occurred.

“These multiple failures demonstrate significant safety lapses by the ROCC,” the FTA wrote in its directive. “WMATA must take immediate action…to train personnel in emergency preparedness and response, and prioritize safety over revenue operations.”

The safety directive “establishes new required actions to elevate emergency planning, exercises, testing and readiness to a high priority level of attention within the WMATA system. Additionally, WMATA must conduct an immediate safety stand down to focus resources on staff on safety. Decision-making must be focused on the basis of safety and not operational convenience. In addition, WMATA must take actions to reduce fire and smoke risks.”

FTA’s planned enforcement of the directive includes withholding up to 25 percent of WMATA’s funds and shutting down parts or all of its rail system.

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