A Federal Transit Administration audit of Metro has identified significant safety issues and made recommendations to address them.

Congressman Gerry Connolly of Northern Virginia joined Maryland Senators Barbara Mikulski and Benjamin L. Cardin, Virginia Senators Jim Webb, and Mark Warner, and Maryland Congressmen Steny Hoyer, Chris Van Hollen, and Donna Edwards at a March 4 briefing in Washington by Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff.

The federal audit provides us a roadmap of what needs to be done to create a sense of urgency around safety at Metro. It also confirms the importance of Congress giving FTA the authority to create and enforce national safety standards for transit systems like Metro.

Key findings of the FTA audit include:

• Metro doesn’t have the manpower to implement its safety program

• Metro doesn’t have a list of its top 10 safety and hazard concerns and could not produce this list after FTA’s request

• Metro’s Safety Department has been re-organized 6 times since 2006. The department has had 3 different titles and 4 different people in charge since 2007. Ten of the departments 41 staff positions are vacant and whether the head of safety reports directly to the General Manager has changed several times

• The Safety Department does not analyze Metro’s budget and unmet funding needs for potential hazards

• Metro doesn’t have a process to ensure timely identification and evaluation of safety hazards

• Safety analysis is not being performed to prioritize hazards for elimination and mitigation

• As of November 23, 2009, 63 accident/incident investigations dating back to April 2006 were open. Metro hasn’t investigated 57 of these largely because it does not have the resources

• Metro had 140 open corrective action plans from prior accidents/incidents at the end of October 2009. Sixty-six of these were open when FTA did the audit

• The highest levels of Metro management do not receive regular reports about safety concerns and issues

• The Metro Board rarely requests formal hazard analysis or information on how operating maintenance or budget decisions may have safety impacts or how the agency is addressing safety-related concerns

 Congressman Connolly said, “The fortunes of the federal government and Metro are inherently linked, a point reinforced by the record four-and-a-half day shutdown of the federal government and Congress during last month’s snowfall when Metro could not operate above ground”

Connolly added that, “The regional delegation is committed to the long-term health of Metro, and we are dedicated to protecting the safety of its riders and employees. This report highlights fundamental safety and communications shortfalls across the board, and we await action from all involved to address this troubling situation.”

“These audit findings are stunning. A safe, well-run Metro system is crucial to this region’s economy and our federal workforce,” said Senator Warner. “I strongly urge Metro leadership to look for ways to implement these safety recommendations so that we can better ensure the safety of Metro riders and employees. WMATA also needs to work quickly to improve communication and collaboration with the Tri-State Oversight Commission.”
 
The federal audit was requested by Senator Mikulski in November 2009 after the Washington area congressional delegation learned that Metro had denied TOC safety inspectors access to Metro’s train tracks.

The FTA audit was charged with doing four things:

• Examine the accident investigation process Tri-State Oversight Committee requires of Metro

• Examine how Tri-State Oversight Committee and Metro develop, monitor and implement safety corrective action

• Assess Metro’s internal safety audit program

• Provide recommendations to improve communications and effectiveness between Metro and Tri-State Oversight Committee

For the full text of the FTA audit, click here.

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