Metro News Release

For immediate release: July 1, 2013

Post poll finds riders more positive on safety

A Washington Post poll of Metro riders, published today, found a significant shift in views about the system's safety. The poll found that 81 percent of riders rated Metro safety as "excellent" or "good," an increase of 14 points from the Post's last poll in March 2010.

Only 17 percent of riders had negative views about the system's safety, with three percent rating safety as "poor."

"I am encouraged that riders recognize our safety progress," said Metro General Manager and CEO Richard Sarles. "It is important that more passengers are feeling the results of our intense focus on safety over the past few years, including work on the tracks and stations on weekends."

The survey results build on recent safety awards from the American Public Transportation Association and the National Safety Council.

Last week, the National Transportation Safety Board closed two recommendations made to Metro following accidents from 2007 and 2010. To date, Metro has closed or submitted for closure 19 out of 27 NTSB recommendations.

Metro is at the midpoint of a six-year $5 billion capital improvement program, called Metro Forward, to provide safer, more reliable service. The program includes replacing Metro's oldest rail cars with new state-of-the-art 7000-series cars, starting next year, as well as replacing signal equipment, installing new cable, replacing worn track infrastructure, rebuilding platforms, improving stations and purchasing new buses.

News release issued at 1:20 pm, July 1, 2013.