Track Problem That Caused Metro Derailment Was Found In July
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The derailment of a Metro train in downtown Washington last week was caused by a track problem that was detected a month earlier but wasn't fixed, the transit agency's top executive said Wednesday.
Members of Congress were quick to condemn Metro for its latest safety lapse, which follows an electrical malfunction in January that caused a train to fill with smoke inside a tunnel, killing one passenger.
No passengers were on board the train at the time of the derailment, which occurred in the early morning hours of Aug. 6 as the operator was preparing for the train to go into service. No one was injured, but the derailment closed two stations and snarled the morning commute. Metro took the unusual step of giving refunds to affected passengers as service delays continued into the next day.
Metro's interim general manager, Jack Requa, told reporters on Wednesday that the faulty track was discovered on July 9 and should have been shut down immediately.
"I don't want to mince words, but this was totally unacceptable," Requa said. "It's Metro's responsibility totally."
Rep. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, demanded that Metro immediately show what it's doing to ensure that track defects are fixed as soon as they're discovered. Metro is the nation's second-largest transit system.
"It is gross negligence that points to a troubling incompetence in the Metro system's safety practices," Van Hollen said in a statement. "By sheer luck, last week's accident did not harm any passengers or Metro employees. Every Metro rider deserves their safety to be guaranteed by more than luck."
David Stephen, a spokesman for the Metro employees' union, said management was at fault for failing to create a culture of safety.
"If there are people that need to be held responsible, it needs to start with management," he said.
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