Connolly: Why Did WMATA Fail To Report Known Defects With Metro Railcars?

WASHINGTON, DC — A Northern Virginia congressman asked the inspector general's office of the U.S. Department of Transportation last week to investigate why the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) failed to report known safety issues with its 7000 series Metro railcars.

While investigating the circumstances surrounding the Oct. 12 derailment of a Blue Line Metrorail train in Arlington, the National Transportation Safety Board (NSTB) discovered defects in the fourth axle on the railcar. NTSB also determined that the WMATA was aware of at least 21 other derailments stretching back to 2017 caused by defective wheel sets in 7000 series railcars.

Related: Blue Line Train Had Derailed Twice Before On The Same Day: NTSB

U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D), who represents parts of Fairfax and Prince William counties, asked Inspector General Geoffrey Cherrington in a Nov. 5 letter to find out why WMATA didn't make the facts surrounding those earlier incidents public.

"WMATA also failed to share its knowledge of this safety defect with the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) despite bi-weekly meetings between WMSC and the office of the Chief Mechanical Officer concerning all known safety issues with railcars," Connolly's letter says. "Unfortunately, this is part of a consistent pattern of resistance within WMATA to providing the WMSC with the information and access it requires to conduct safety oversight of the system."

Related: 60% Of Metro's Fleet Removed From Service Over Safety Concerns

The letter asks that the IG's office report its findings to the House Subcommittee on Government Operations, which Connolly chairs.

Based on the NTSB's initial findings, the WMSC issued an order on Oct. 17 for WMATA to pull all 7000 series railcars out of service, so that they could be inspected. That order meant a reduction of service by Metrorail, as the transit agency had to operate with nearly 60 percent of its fleet sidelined for safety inspections.

In the subsequent weeks, WMATA pulled older trains out of storage and stepped up the repair of others in order to bolster its depleted fleet. Metro customers can expect the reduced service to continue until at least mid-November, according to WMATA's latest estimates.