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WMATA 'Replacement' Metrorail Safety Commission (MSC)


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#11 CNJRoss

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Posted 16 February 2017 - 04:37 PM

WTOP radio, 2/16:

 
Bill on Metro safety commission lands in Congress

 

 

WASHINGTON — Leaders from the D.C. region in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are introducing legislation that they hope will kick-start the creation of a new Metro safety commission and prevent the federal government from withholding millions of dollars in transportation funding.

 

The Federal Transit Administration announced last week that it would withhold the money from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia until the three jurisdictions establish the commission to oversee safety on the rail system.

 

In an interview with WTOP Thursday morning, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, said the situation was “unfortunate” and “difficult,” and explained why members of Congress were stepping in.

 

“We’ve worked it out very, very carefully with all stakeholders,” Kaine said. “We think it should give both Metro users and the FTA additional assurance that safety comes first.”

 

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#12 CNJRoss

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Posted 05 March 2017 - 08:41 AM

The Washington Post, 3/4:
 

Millions at stake as wait to create Metro safety body could last until next year

 

 

It will be at least fall — and more probably next year — before an overdue Metro safety oversight body is up and running, further delaying millions in federal transit aid that agencies in the District, Maryland and Virginia are counting on.

 

What’s more, the three jurisdictions’ failure to meet a federal deadline for establishing the Metro Safety Commission after more than a year and a half casts serious doubt on their ability to achieve the bigger task of overhauling the transit agency’s governance and funding structure before financial problems overwhelm it, analysts said.

 

“There is really a lack of ownership” of Metro by the three jurisdictions, said Emeka Moneme, a former District transportation director and Metro board member, who now is deputy executive director of the Federal City Council. “The most recent Metro Safety Commission process was a really good example,” he said.

 

SNIP

 

The District approved legislation in December creating the commission, but officials have since discovered that typos in the bill mean it will have to be voted on again. The Virginia General Assembly approved its version at the end of February, and it awaits Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s signature. The Maryland House unanimously approved its bill Thursday.

 

But even after the three bills are signed into law, it will take months to get congressional approval and complete other tasks necessary to set up the commission, officials said. The agency then has to be certified by the FTA before about $15 million a year in federal transit aid resumes flowing.

 

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Related topic:  FTA Withholding millions until WMATA Safety Commison created



#13 CNJRoss

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Posted 05 March 2017 - 08:55 AM

The Washington Post, 3/4:
 

Millions at stake as wait to create Metro safety body could last until next year

 

 

SNIP

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Related topic:  FTA Withholding millions until WMATA Safety Commison created

 

Moneme, of the Federal City Council, said the experience with the safety commission led his influential business group to propose that Congress create an emergency control board to run Metro. He said such intervention is necessary because the mayor and two governors do not place a high enough priority on Metro.

 

“What we saw over the last two years with the safety commission is they have other pots boiling on the fire, they have other issues,” Moneme said. “Frankly, they’re just not motivated.”

 

 

Additional related topic:  Influential business group says Metro needs an emergency control board



#14 CNJRoss

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Posted 23 July 2017 - 08:17 AM

AP 7/19/17:

 

House gives go-ahead for Washington Metro safety commission

  

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House approved legislation Monday giving the go-ahead for a new safety watchdog for the passenger rail system serving commuters and visitors in and around the nation's capital.

 

After a series of critical lapses, the Obama administration directed the Federal Transit Administration in late 2015 to oversee safety for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

 

Insufficient investment in maintenance and delayed repairs led to a deterioration of the transit system.  .  .  .

 

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#15 CNJRoss

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Posted 23 August 2017 - 06:43 AM

WTOP radio, 8/22/17:
 

Trump allows DC, Md. and Va. to oversee Metro safety

 

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a long-awaited resolution Tuesday that allows Maryland, Virginia and D.C. to take back primary responsibility for safety oversight of Metro.

 

The resolution grants federal permission to the states and the District to enter into the legal compact required to create a safety watchdog with real enforcement power.

 

The Federal Transit Administration temporarily took over safety oversight responsibilities after determining that the previous agency was ineffective and bogged down in jurisdictional disputes.

 

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#16 CNJRoss

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Posted 27 August 2017 - 04:23 PM

The Washington Post,​ 8/22/17:

Trump signs resolution to improve safety at Metro

 

 

President Trump signed a resolution Tuesday giving final approval to the long-awaited Metro Safety Commission, the last legislative step in the years-long effort to establish an oversight organization tasked with making Metro safer.

 

But there’s plenty more that must still happen before the new agency is up and running.

 

SNIP

 

.

The process of getting that body in place has taken much longer than many expected. The D.C. Council approved the required legislation last year, and the Maryland and Virginia legislatures passed bills earlier this year. The legislation ping-ponged around Congress for months before it received final approval 2½ weeks ago.

 

And with little fanfare, Trump signed the resolution Tuesday, turning it into law.

 

But it will still be a while before the safety organization exists — the District, Maryland and Virginia are still looking for office space for the newly minted agency, they will need to find employees to staff that office, and they are seeking out at least six people with extensive rail and transit safety experience who can serve as commissioners. (Each jurisdiction is required to have two commissioners, along with an alternate.)

 

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#17 CNJRoss

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Posted 09 February 2018 - 12:53 AM

WTOP radio 2/8/18:
 

Metrorail Safety Commission members gather for the first time

 

 

WASHINGTON — Members of the long-awaited Metrorail Safety Commission gathered for the first time Wednesday, but the region still has significant work to do before taking back local safety oversight from the Federal Transit Administration.

 

Former National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Mark Rosenker, a Virginia appointee to the commission, said the orientation was a productive step toward helping make Metro “the premier and most safe transit on rail in the United States.

 

“I think we can do that,” Rosenker said.

 

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#18 CNJRoss

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Posted 25 April 2018 - 01:17 PM

Metro Magazine:
 

Metrorail Safety Commission names new CEO

 
Posted on April 25, 2018
 
 

The Metrorail Safety Commission (MSC), an agency formed to oversee safety at D.C. Metro, picked David L. Mayer, a transportation expert who is currently chief safety officer of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), as its CEO.

 

Mayer will oversee the management and operations of the MSC, which was created by the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia to serve as the State Safety Oversight Agency for the Metrorail system. Besides his time at the MTA, Mayer also served as managing director at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

 

 

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#19 CNJRoss

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Posted 06 September 2018 - 12:31 PM

FTA news release 9/6/18:

 

FTA Outlines Process to Transfer Safety Oversight of WMATA Metrorail from Federal Authority to the Metrorail Safety Commission

 

 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today outlined the process by which primary responsibility for federal safety oversight of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrorail system will transfer from FTA to the Metrorail Safety Commission (MSC). 

"FTA is ready to initiate the formal transition process and the MSC is nearing completion of the work it needs to do before the process can begin," said FTA Executive Director Matthew J. Welbes.

 

The MSC is the designated State Safety Oversight (SSO) Agency established jointly by the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia to provide safety oversight of Metrorail. FTA assumed temporary and direct safety oversight of Metrorail in October 2015.

 

The transition process involves three key steps. First, the MSC must submit its SSO Program certification application to FTA. Before MSC can submit its application, the MSC commissioners must approve the SSO Program and MSC must be adequately staffed to perform all safety oversight responsibilities.

 

The second step occurs after FTA receives the MSC certification application and sends a letter of acknowledgement that the application is under review. Then, a transition period will begin during which FTA conducts a knowledge transfer to MSC, including technical sessions on all six core areas of safety oversight responsibilities and the status of each as it relates FTA’s safety oversight of Metrorail. The six core areas are: inspections, investigations, corrective action plans, emergency management, safety and security certifications, and triennial audits.

 

Also during this transition period, MSC staff will shadow FTA inspectors and investigators in the field to increase familiarity with the Metrorail system and better understand FTA’s activities related to safety oversight of Metrorail. Then, FTA staff will shadow MSC inspectors and investigators to validate that the MSC has the capacity to carry out its safety oversight responsibilities pursuant to federal transit law and its own SSO Program standard. The length of this transition period is not set and is highly dependent on factors such as MSC’s SSO Program standards, staffing and technical capacity.

 

The third and final step is FTA certification of the MSC SSO Program, which will occur only after FTA both approves the application and validates that MSC has the capacity to oversee WMATA Metrorail. When certification occurs, FTA will ensure an orderly transfer of safety oversight as MSC assumes the primary responsibility from FTA.

 

FTA is working to help MSC achieve certification and has a long history of providing review of draft SSO Program documents and other technical assistance relevant to safety oversight of Metrorail. In addition, in recent months, FTA has begun conducting pre-transition activities with the MSC, including briefings with its executive team and board members.

 

Pursuant to federal law, the MSC must obtain certification of its SSO Program by April 15, 2019, and the deadline cannot be waived or extended. If MSC misses the deadline, FTA will be prohibited by law from obligating a minimum of $638 million in FY 2019 federal transit funding to all transit providers across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia until certification is achieved. Additionally, FTA will continue to withhold about $32 million in FY 2017 and FY 2018 federal transit funding for failure of the jurisdictions to meet a prior SSO Program certification deadline.

###

 

 

Related: 

FTA 'direct' safety oversight of WMATA Metrorail

FTA Transit Safety Oversight - SSOA Certification due 4/15/19



#20 CNJRoss

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Posted 06 September 2018 - 12:41 PM

FTA email 9/6/18:
 

FTA Outlines Process to Transfer Safety Oversight of WMATA Metrorail from Federal Authority to the Metrorail Safety Commission

 

 

FTA today outlined the process by which primary responsibility for federal safety oversight of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrorail system will transfer from FTA to the Metrorail Safety Commission (MSC). 

 

The MSC is the designated State Safety Oversight (SSO) Agency established jointly by the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia to provide safety oversight of Metrorail. FTA assumed temporary and direct safety oversight of Metrorail in October 2015.

 

FTA is working to help MSC achieve certification and has a long history of providing review of draft SSO Program documents, and other technical assistance relevant to safety oversight of Metrorail. In addition, in recent months, FTA has begun conducting pre-transition activities with the MSC, including briefings with its executive team and board members.

 

Links:
Press release
FTA Safety Oversight of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrorail System
FTA State Safety Oversight Program

 

 






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