Police Open Investigation Into East Falls Church Metro Train Derailment

WASHINGTON, DC — Metro Transit Police have opened an investigation into the derailment of a Silver Line train near the East Falls Church Metro station late last month, according to a statement issued by WMATA Aug. 18.

One person was injured and the East Falls Church station was shut down for days after the incident. Authorities later found out deteriorated track ties had caused the tracks to widen, leading to the derailment.

"The administrative review uncovered information that warrants further investigation by Metro Transit Police," Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld said in the statement. "While Safety department investigations determine cause and accountability, it is even more important to understand if other issues must be addressed with the way track inspections and maintenance have been conducted."

Wiedefeld added that the public has "a right to know that the tracks on which their trains run are being properly inspected," and that "information uncovered to date raises potentially serious concerns, and we will take all actions necessary to get answers and hold people accountable."

The statement did not indicate whether any Metro workers could face criminal charges in relation to the incident. A Metro spokesperson said that it is WMATA employees exclusively who deal with track inspections, and not contractors.

Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.), who has publicly criticized Metro workers for their part in the problems in the rail system, issued a statement shortly after Metro's announcement:

"The news today that there is now a separate parallel criminal investigation by Metro Transit Police into the July 29th Derailment outside of the East Falls Church Station is one more disturbing revelation from Metro. The decades of mismanagement are continuing to manifest themselves on a weekly basis and I agree strongly with GM Paul Wiedefeld that the ‘Public has a right to know that the tracks on which their trains run are being properly inspected.’ I have spoken with Mr. Wiedefeld about how we can bring more transparency to this process and how best to identify and root out the serious problems throughout the system. The public deserves an expeditious review by the law enforcement authorities that are being brought in to review these serious concerns."

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