Metro News Release

For immediate release: November 10, 2009

Metro and its Board committed to strong safety oversight

Joint statement by Metro Board Chairman Jim Graham and Metro General Manager John Catoe

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and its Board of Directors are committed to working with all safety oversight agencies that have jurisdiction over Metro and its operations. Regionally, that oversight comes from the Tri-State Oversight Committee, which was created by Congress and then implemented through an agreement among the District of Columbia, State of Maryland and Commonwealth of Virginia.

We recognize that--contrary to the implication of previously written and issued WMATA letters--the Tri-State Oversight Committee has access to Metro’s track bed, formally known as the right-of-way, to conduct safety inspections, ensure that employees are complying with the standard safety operating rules and procedures and to observe safe working conditions. This type of safety monitoring is vital to the successful missions of both the Tri-State Oversight Committee and Metro. We embrace the valuable work and oversight that the Committee provides. The Committee’s work is critical to ensuring the safety of our employees and the customers whom we serve every day.

Media contact for this news release: is at 202-962-1051.
For all other inquiries, please call customer service at 202-637-7000.

News release issued at 4:02 pm, November 10, 2009.