Metro News Release

For immediate release: March 23, 2006

Metrorail trains, equipment did not cause 2004 collision

The National Transportation Safety Board today issued the results of its investigation into the November 3, 2004 collision between two Metrorail trains at the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan Metrorail station and concluded that the probable cause of the accident was the failure of the train operator to apply the brakes of an empty train that rolled backward into a train that was servicing the station. Investigators insisted that the train’s brakes were functioning, but that the train operator, who was dismissed from his job in December 2004, was at fault.

"In Metrorail’s 30-year history, the Woodley Park collision is the only time in which one train rolled backward into another. The Metro fleet is safe and we are confident that our train operators know how to brake trains," said Steve Feil, Metro’s Chief Operating Officer for Rail. "This was an isolated incident due to operator error, and we dismissed that operator because he failed to follow proper procedures to brake the train."

Metro officials worked closely with the NTSB during its independent investigation. Part of that investigation included simulating the incident where the collision took place. "During the simulation, we allowed a train to roll back for the same amount of time–78 seconds--to recreate conditions similar to those at the time of the collision. When we simulated the rollback, we were consistently able to safely brake the train," Mr. Feil said.

The NTSB made two recommendations intended to improve the safety of Metro’s railcars. The Safety Board recommended that Metro install a state-of-the-art feature called "rollback protection" that automatically brakes trains when they start to roll backward in manual mode. Three hundred-fifty-nine of Metro’s other railcars already contain that additional safety feature, and there are plans to start to add rollback protection to 295 cars within the next two years.

"Their recommendations are looking to make our system even safer than it already is," said Fred Goodine, Metro’s chief safety officer. "The cause of the accident was operator error, in that the operator failed to apply the train’s brakes. Reassuring was the statement by the Safety Board chairman that the Metro system is safe and that these recommendations are designed to make a safe system even safer."

The NTSB also recommended either accelerating the retirement of the 292 oldest railcars, known as the 1000-series cars, or if those cars are not retired but instead rehabilitated, then they should incorporate a retrofit that strengthens the car bodies to improve what is known as "crashworthiness." Metro officials are already looking into what it will take to implement that recommendation. They are conducting a structural analysis of the 1000-series cars, which could be retired as early as 2012, or retrofitted.

The Safety Board also recommended that Metro’s chief safety officer report directly to the general manager. Metro Interim General Manager Dan Tangherlini had already taken that important step last week. "Safety is our first priority, and having our top safety official report directly to me ensures that safety remains number one," Mr. Tangherlini said.

News release issued on March 23, 2006.