Metro ignored requests to analyze whether to put its oldest rail cars in the middle of trains months before the deadly crash involving the “uncrashworthy” models, according to a letter from its oversight agency.
But now, the Tri-State Oversight Committee said, Metro has put the more than 30-year-old rail cars in the centers of trains in the wake of the June 22 crash without showing proof that it makes the trains any safer.
A letter sent from the oversight group to Metro on Friday and obtained by The Examiner said the group could not support Metro’s action until the transit agency could “provide a written justification providing factual evidence” of how it makes the train system safer.
The group says it has not been given any “engineering analyses, written professional opinions, crash-test data or even anecdotal evidence to support this measure.”
The letter also raises questions about the safety of the Rohr 1000 Series rail cars that make up a quarter of Metro’s fleet.
Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein declined to address the letter’s specific points but said Metro would respond. “These rail cars are safe to operate or we would not be operating them,” she said.
The letter highlights the impotence of the state and federal agencies that oversee transit agencies. They can make recommendations but cannot force Metro or other agencies to follow their demands.
No one has said the rail cars caused the crash between two trains on the Red Line. But some have questioned whether it became more deadly because the older cars were involved.
The National Transportation Safety Board twice warned Metro about the crashworthiness of the cars, concerned that they would crumple on impact. The lead car was crushed to a third of its size.
Metro says it cannot retire the cars as they represent about a quarter of its fleet, nor can it afford to replace them at $3 million apiece.
The committee’s letter says it had “continually requested” that Metro develop a plan to address the NTSB’s concerns. The group also said it requested Nov. 24 that Metro consider an interim solution and analyze options such as running the 1000 Series cars in the “bellies” of trains, meaning not the lead or rear cars of the trains.
The committee says Metro did not respond.
A week after the crash, Metro General Manager John Catoe said, “As a result of this tragedy, we have racked our brains for ways to make those railcars less vulnerable.”
Metro then put all of its 1000 Series rail cars in the middle of trains, surrounded by newer cars. “This could make them less vulnerable to a collision,” Catoe said.
Replacing rail cars:
Money and time
in short supply
» Metro officials have said they plan to use $300 million that they have been seeking from Congress, Virginia, Maryland and the District to address safety concerns highlighted by the crash.
» They could replace about 100 of the 290 oldest rail cars with the initial round of money.
» New rail cars cost about $3 million a piece, so it would cost about $870 million to replace all of the 1000 Series railcars.
» If the cars were ordered immediately, it would take five years to build the cars, test them and put them into service, Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said.
