Commission calls on WMATA to address recurring safety issues

An independent commission reviewing safety issues at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) said the system needs to ensure trains stop for red signals and that proper worker protocols are followed, according to an article on The Washington Post website.

Washington Metrorail Safety Commission Chairman Chris Hart, a former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, called for a "holistic" plan to address recurring issues.

The issues include four incidents of WMATA failing to follow track-worker protection guidelines, three reports of red signal overruns, a near-collision involving two trains with the same radio call number and an unreported runaway train.

The commission recently suggested that retraining the workers cited in the incidents was not enough. WMATA needed to be more active in making sure all of its employees are familiar with safety guidelines.

WMATA officials said in a statement after the meeting that the agency recently bought four simulators to train and retrain rail operators to avoid running red signals.