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WMATA - New "FTA Safety Blitz" following shutdown


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#1 CNJRoss

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Posted 20 March 2016 - 04:28 PM

WTOP radio, 3/18:
 

Following WMATA shutdown, new federal safety blitz coming

 

WASHINGTON — After Metro uncovered major problems with power cables during Wednesday’s shutdown, the Federal Transit Administration is set to begin a new “inspection blitz” next week, targeting other areas where Metro may need to address significant safety issues.

 

“The FTA will conduct a safety inspection blitz starting next week on three other critical areas that we have identified as serious problems for Metro: red light running, use of emergency brakes and track integrity,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced at a Senate hearing this week.

 

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#2 KevinKorell

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Posted 20 March 2016 - 08:18 PM

The thing is, WMATA has already been on a blitz of sorts in fixing issues after the Summer 2009 Red Line fatal crash at Fort Totten. The action items from that one have been almost weekly weekend disruptions throughout the system, with single tracking, resulting in longer waits. So I don't know (short of total shutdowns like the one this past week) how much more can be done if the FTA finds a lot of problems.


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#3 CNJRoss

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Posted 22 March 2016 - 06:30 AM

WTOP radio, 3/21:
 

FTA details concerns about poor maintenance, track integrity amid safety blitz

 

WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration says Metro is failing to address the root causes of track and other equipment problems.

 

Amid a safety inspection blitz that began this week, the FTA said Monday that as Metro’s new safety oversight agency, it sent back Metro’s internal investigation report into the Aug. 6 derailment near the Smithsonian Station “because it failed to appropriately assess the root cause of the track condition that was identified.”

 

SNIP

 

In addition to track inspections and a review of Metro’s entire track maintenance program, the FTA is also looking into the serious danger posed by rail equipment rolling away in rail yards because workers don’t apply the emergency brakes.

 

SNIP

 

The third focus of the federal safety blitz is trains running red signals, an issue the agency ordered Metro to address in December.

 

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#4 CNJRoss

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Posted 19 April 2016 - 07:20 AM

The Washington Post, 4/18:
 

FTA ‘safety blitz’ uncovers more problems with Metro safety

 

Federal safety inspections of Metro’s rail system have found that the transit agency is failing to provide basic safety protections — including working fire extinguishers and clear escape routes — to help its riders in the event of an emergency evacuation.

 

Metro’s workers are placing themselves at risk, too, inspectors said. Many are failing to follow procedures established as part of a highly touted safety program designed to keep them safe.

 

The concerns, outlined in a letter from the Federal Transit Administration to Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld and obtained by The Washington Post, are of such importance that FTA officials said immediate action is required.

 

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#5 CNJRoss

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Posted 29 April 2016 - 07:08 AM

WTOP radio, 4/29:
 

Metro responds to federal ‘safety blitz’

 

WASHINGTON — Metro is planning to make sure fire extinguishers in tunnels are working, and to clean up messes around emergency exits, as part of a response to urgent safety warnings from the Federal Transit Administration’s recent “safety blitz.”

 

Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said Thursday that Metro is moving “immediately” on a plan to make basic fixes such as keeping tunnels clean and making sure fire extinguishers are working. 

 

SNIP 

 

“We’re basically reinforcing: These are the rules; this is what you do; this is how you speak to the [Rail Operations Control Center]; this is how you repeat things — all those things,” Wiedefeld said.

 

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#6 CNJRoss

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Posted 02 May 2016 - 07:17 AM

The Washington Post, 5/1:
 

FTA safety inspectors uncover more track defects that Metro missed

 

Metro halted rail traffic or slowed train speeds at 10 locations in April after federal inspectors found track defects that could have caused derailments and other problems, according to federal safety reports.

 

All of the tracks are now back in normal use after repairs were made, officials said. But the documents, obtained by The Washington Post, disclose new examples of problems that Metro overlooked until the Federal Transit Administration took over safety oversight of the agency in October.

 

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