Described as an unprecedented federal safety inspection of operations at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority produced 78 safety fixes for the system.
Lori Aratani reports: "Metro’s central train control center — tasked with ensuring the safety of thousands of passengers moving through the nation’s second-busiest rail system — is chronically understaffed, chaotic and filled with distractions, according to a federal report released Wednesday."
"Staff members lack adequate training and have no formal checklists to help guide them in doing their jobs. Employees frequently ignore rules — several were seen using cellphones while working. And in other instances, because of miscommunication trains were directed into areas that should have been off-limits," adds Aratani in summarizing the report.
The review followed the fatal incident on January 12, 2015, when smoke filled a Yellow Line tunnel.
Aratani's reportage included more on the response of D.C. Metro officials to the findings.
FULL STORY: FTA report: There are significant flaws in Metro’s safety management system
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research