Metro will hold a memorial ceremony Tuesday morning for the nine people who died and the dozens injured in the deadliest crash in the transit agency’s 35-year history.
The service, on the one-year anniversary of the Red Line crash, will be held Tuesday morning at Fort Totten Park near the site of the accident. Eight riders and a Metro operator were killed and about 80 were injured when a train heading toward Glenmont slammed into a stationary train in front of it just north of the Fort Totten station.
Families of the deceased will not speak at the ceremony, said Metro spokesman Reggie Woodruff. Some members of the victims’ families complained last week that Metro officials did not solicit their input in organizing the service. Following the complaints, Richard Sarles, the rail system’s interim general manager, sent a letter to the nine families inviting them to the ceremony, when a bronze plaque listing the names of the dead will be unveiled.
The memorial plaque will be mounted on a pillar in the Fort Totten station following the service, Woodruff said.
Nondenominational clergy and dignitaries will lead the service, which is set to begin at 10 a.m., and a singer will perform. Thirty minutes into the ceremony, the transit system will observe a moment of silence — which will include Metrorail stations, rail yards, bus facilities and administrative offices.
Some victims’ relatives have filed lawsuits against Metro for the crash. In addition to lawsuits, Metro has had a series of safety lapses and has endured intense scrutiny in the year following the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the cause of the accident, in which a six-car train heading toward Glenmont slammed into a stationary train between the Fort Totten and Takoma stations. The momentum of the crash launched the moving train on top of the stopped train. The moving train’s driver, 42-year-old Jeanice McMillan, was one of the nine fatalities.
NTSB has scheduled a hearing detailing probable causes in July.
