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9/15/2021
The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) has released an audit of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrorail’s revenue vehicle programs.
The audit covers Metrorail’s activities related to rail cars, including regular maintenance and engineering, as well as rehabilitation and overhauls.
The WMSC identified several positive practices and a number of areas that require improvement. As a result, the commission is issuing 12 findings requiring Metrorail to develop corrective action plans and three recommendations.
Among the findings, Metrorail did not follow its safety certification processes for the 6000-Series rehabilitation and overhaul project, the WMSC found.
In fall 2020, two 6000-Series train pull-aparts occurred involving Red Line trains in revenue service. Safety certification is designed to ensure that hazards are addressed or mitigated prior to a safety event.
Metrorail is developing a similar rehabilitation project for the 7000-Series cars, but is doing so without full coordination with its safety department, WMSC officials said in a news release.