[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6593824,"mediaKeyId","5344499-47f72975f304a4b2dc474401356350c2","parentId",5344499,"title","WMSC adopts three investigation reports after hazardous spill and two improper-movement near-misses","audioSeconds",600,"startMs",5160000,"endMs",5760000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5344499-47f72975f304a4b2dc474401356350c2&start=5160&end=5760","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5344499-47f72975f304a4b2dc474401356350c2/thumbnail_5160000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6593824/Virginia/WMSC-adopts-three-investigation-reports-after-hazardous-spill-and-two-improper-movement-near-misses","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6593824-b533ff84756386188e13603cebb411af/orig.mp4?Expires=1771032133&Signature=EeUAJP~e-absT8Oi6532wJB~r6vm8zcNJagxj10Tn1t8ro6OplZdvG7dZqLSo5QUtG0RTg-hzPLPhRLZGXGXJgY09EDR0FO-E7x4hFQH-e9WIDvsSt6icpApGK-A5tGAhI4dkJceqM9K4UGaIdyRP0Okg8JpstA7JIdY8sBfXuEQlsZIVzXMXxP-8vZjmiPLs~ApLAVcU9GRTy6YHlkENLZTadoq17PR2spst~HVQcVsnHAemFUhnIYaV6ueLb-LzhbjI9VU5RIzGMYZzu-r-Wa-mvSvWqUsKG~ywOquEKro6UvbKzduuLSDgVIEI7dOXHvW9ssD27plP7kbLtoRLw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Washington Metrorail Safety Commission","date","2025-04-08T00:00:00Z","article","The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission voted unanimously to adopt three investigation reports presented at its April meeting: a hazardous-material spill by a contractor-operated rail grinder and two improper rail-vehicle movement incidents.

Mr. Quigley summarized the hazardous-spill investigation (Whiskey0365). On Aug. 7, 2024, contractor-operated rail grinder unit 8126 stalled near Foggy Bottom and later leaked hydraulic fluid after a hose fitting failed; approximately 50 gallons of hydraulic fluid spilled onto the track. No injuries or adverse environmental impacts were reported. Metro Rail and contractor personnel removed the unit from service, cleaned the track with absorbents, and ultimately removed the vehicle from Metro property; WMSC reported the vehicle left Metro property as of Jan. 24, 2025. Metro has increased hydraulic inspections and is reviewing maintenance schedules for rail grinders.

Two improper-rail-vehicle-movement reports were adopted (Whiskey0366 and Whiskey0367). Whiskey0366, involving red-line train 124 on July 21, 2024, found that a train operator misinterpreted rail-traffic-controller instructions, placed the train into stop-and-proceed without authorization and moved roughly 420 feet toward a passenger-occupied train 126 before the controller stopped the movement. The operator was removed from service and permanently disqualified from the rail-vehicle-operator position. Metro instituted staff notices and training: control-center procedures were amended to require controllers to verify terminal names when directions are given that will move a train opposite normal traffic flow; Metro held boot-camp sessions for controllers and a safety stand-down for operators.

Whiskey0367 documented an Aug. 17, 2024 event at Pentagon Station in which operator change-off practices failed: an operator boarded the wrong train end, did not complete the required visual/verbal change-off, entered stop-and-proceed without authorization and moved the train in the wrong direction about 144 feet before being stopped; no equipment damage was found in subsequent inspections. Investigators noted contributing factors including informal change-off practice and temporary single-person staffing in the rail operating control center. Metro is implementing corrective actions and cited an open CAP (C056) addressing recruitment and retention at the control center.

Commissioners discussed the reports during the meeting. Vice Chair and other commissioners emphasized the need for standardized, unambiguous radio communications and formalized change-off procedures to reduce room for operator error. Commissioner Conklin suggested the probable cause language emphasize the unauthorized stop-and-proceed movement; commissioners also urged Metro to create clear, documented handoff checklists so that operators and controllers have a record of train condition and operating-end changes.

The three investigation reports were adopted by roll-call vote, 6 yays and 0 nays. WMSC staff said the investigation findings prompted immediate procedural changes, refresher training, and corrective-action work that Metro continues to implement.

The commission adopted the reports as Whiskey0365, Whiskey0366 and Whiskey0367.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","WMSC Public Meeting of the Commissioners April 8, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission adopted three investigation reports documenting a contractor rail-grinder hydraulic spill and two near-miss improper rail-vehicle movements; the commission approved the reports by unanimous vote and discussed staff and Metro corrective actions.","taxTitle","Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, Boards and Commissions, Executive, Virginia","taxId",36469,"location","Virginia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6593829,"WMSC issues noncompliance notice over overdue fall-protection corrective action as audit subpoena dispute delays records",1095,715000,1810000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5344499-47f72975f304a4b2dc474401356350c2&start=715&end=1810","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5344499-47f72975f304a4b2dc474401356350c2/thumbnail_715000.jpg","/articles/6593829/Virginia/WMSC-issues-noncompliance-notice-over-overdue-fall-protection-corrective-action-as-audit-subpoena-dispute-delays-records","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6593829-07e9e7eff13d422631924e643767fd50/orig.mp4?Expires=1771032133&Signature=c7CYuMHdZSR4eJDulSoTCXfP1kmMlHQw27WxSQferFI-CicBBj~34KL9LjM8U1C-joDFpRZo-UuwaIUp03w2Q-fNsZd7B-WEXJTfi-8pRQU1EUuFfeqbsrmrPd6sS~ggKt6XRCr2eugOui-OOotVzzEd3-G4xxy5HQg0xpSDGHkcC8VYhiJi17KCfZLQG6dwOxma8YxTEA-G-8kc7q4qttCP-MjTxNAR1ThWYf6-ZkJpCpSG6wGUiHQ~RxVbLMc1OQdyhXJNcUUna0dFjSXdGzhttHJURhdcvUdzeEbnbAVEaszpc1MlWGP8vqCLP~7jP2dcpNZXZulAY-WwG4DiOw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At its April public meeting the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) reported it had issued a notice of noncompliance to Metro Rail on April 4 for corrective action plan C0240, which addresses fall-protection work around roadway maintenance machines (RMMs).

WMSC staff said C0240 contains five actionable items designed to mitigate a known hazard: Metro Rail acknowledged \"inadequate fall protection for workers around RMMs\" during a 2023 audit, but failed to deliver two later milestones (actionable items 2 and 3) that were due on July 10, 2024 and January 22, 2025. WMSC staff told commissioners Metro Rail initially submitted actionable item 1 on 02/23/2024, then paused submissions in an April 2024 email. The WMSC’s notice requires Metro Rail to provide the overdue deliverables to return to compliance.

Commissioners linked the stalled C0240 work to a broader dispute over an audit of fitness-for-duty and occupational health programs. Dr. Meyer and WMSC counsel briefed commissioners that Metro Rail refused to produce certain documents requested for that audit; after unsuccessful negotiation the WMSC filed a subpoena and then an enforcement action in court in late October 2024 to compel production. WMSC staff said Metro Rail has at times asserted the same legal objection to other deliverables, and that assertion has caused Metro to withhold information on a set of caps the agency now treats as part of the same legal dispute.

WMSC staff gave numerical context for corrective-action work across Metro Rail: Metro has 84 open corrective action plans (caps) and five additional caps in development — 89 in total — and since the last public meeting Metro has submitted 29 deliverables for review. Staff also highlighted eight caps closed since the last meeting (including C0136, C0137, C0155, C0156, C0168, C0224, C0225 and C0245), describing each closure as a fully implemented safety improvement.

Commissioners voiced concern about the operational and resource impacts of Metro’s withholding. Vice Chair raised concern that the practice of categorizing deliverables as subject to the occupational-health dispute could leave worker-safety hazards unmitigated and slow progress on other caps. Commissioner Rouse noted Metro told WMSC in April 2024 that eight specific caps were being treated by Metro as part of the occupational-safety legal dispute and therefore not being advanced, and staff confirmed three notices of noncompliance have been issued to date related to caps the agency has paused.

WMSC staff said they received an email from Metro acknowledging receipt of the noncompliance notice but had not received the overdue deliverables as of the meeting. Staff emphasized the commission retains all its enforcement tools and is considering next steps to compel compliance while continuing other oversight work.

The commission also described an ongoing triennial audit cycle and specific audits in progress: an audit of control center and rail operations (draft report being prepared), an elevators and escalators audit (exit conference held March 28; supplemental materials received April 4), a fitness-for-duty and occupational-health audit (documents withheld by Metro), and a communications-systems audit scheduled for on-site work starting mid-April.

WMSC staff said the draft of the WMSC program standard will be sent to Metro Rail for review and comment within the week and that the WMSC continues to draft its first strategic plan and its annual operations report.

WMSC said it will continue oversight and may escalate compliance actions if Metro Rail does not submit the missing C0240 deliverables.","The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission issued a notice of noncompliance to Metro Rail for failing to deliver overdue corrective-action items addressing fall protection around roadway maintenance machines; commissioners also discussed withheld audit documents tied to a disputed fitness-for-duty subpoena.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6593834,"WMSC withholds concurrence to expand automatic train operations after surge in red-line station overruns",2630,265000,2895000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5344499-47f72975f304a4b2dc474401356350c2&start=265&end=2895","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5344499-47f72975f304a4b2dc474401356350c2/thumbnail_265000.jpg","/articles/6593834/Virginia/WMSC-withholds-concurrence-to-expand-automatic-train-operations-after-surge-in-red-line-station-overruns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6593834-d34f92ea823b21523567a945575178a9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771032133&Signature=ipU-lKZ1n2pZp6wbvo38O2REk4dp4IoxVKor84fvLef3RdraDRxHZHt3AQeNnn0wj3XP6kzDEzQGnOcacOEuucrz7-jDfsgOdhSpM7d6cofM6XkXua5oe~kDz6rZGPMFJK8rjCOB~a-msVy0LEGkVJ8mafhZYlojFkRl9q8UTtC-DjyxsRCT0kkCswYMDNytU2IeKE9maCiZZSrlNaxXlLeWu2-kONMUjuRhNdRX0OXCrTAut3TK3OxA7bO0fSVurz8eUdx9LewWUEEAkI1tbdpPgTO0rfPMocLNEtjwRCum6cK9yYJSRO4NzfFS8Q90tLWmuJDgvsawoj0QO-Imtw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission on April 8 said it will not concur with Metro Rail's plan to expand automatic train operations (ATO) to additional lines until Metro Rail demonstrates it has identified and mitigated causes of station overruns observed on the red line.

WMSC staff and commissioners told Metro Rail that ATO on the red line has produced far more station overruns than manual operation. \"On the red line through last month, there have been 21 station overruns in manual mode compared to 217 station overruns in ATO,\" WMSC staff reported, and Metro Rail is projecting \"about 360 overruns per year\" if ATO performance continues at current rates, according to Paul Smith, WMSC director of systems engineering.

The commission said the increase matters because station overruns can prevent trains from servicing platforms, impede passenger egress during emergencies and, in some circumstances, expose roadway workers to strike hazards. \"Station overruns represent an unsafe condition,\" WMSC staff said, and the commission told Metro Rail that \"until it does\" identify and mitigate the hazards, \"ATO should not be used in revenue service in any other rail line.\"

WMSC staff described several technical and human factors that Metro Rail has identified and is investigating. Metro has attributed some Judiciary Square overruns to possible electromagnetic interference and has said some operator-initiated overruns were caused by operators engaging the station-stop-cancel control; Metro reported plans to disable that feature. The WMSC asked Metro Rail for a written engineering assessment from the equipment supplier and Metro Rail’s engineers on Judiciary Square overruns and for any engineering and operational analyses related to disabling the stop-cancel feature.

Paul Smith summarized ATO performance to commissioners: \"As soon as ATO was activated on the red line, there was a large number of station overruns,\" and although monthly counts declined from the earliest levels, \"overruns continue to happen at an unacceptable level, and the reason for them is not fully understood.\" Commissioners and staff cited March data showing 33 ATO station overruns on the red line for that month alone.

Commissioners pressed Metro Rail and WMSC staff for specific performance expectations and risk tolerances before any expansion. Commissioner Conklin asked whether the current red-line experience scales across the system: given the red line represents roughly 28% of system service, he said, the red-line rate could imply hundreds or more overruns systemwide if ATO is expanded. Commissioner Rouse and others urged the WMSC to obtain a safety- and risk-based tolerance (a stop-position tolerance and an acceptable overrun frequency) that both agencies can use to judge adequacy of mitigations. Several commissioners asked staff to focus on outlier locations such as Judiciary Square and Rockville where overruns have clustered and to return with measured goals for both count and severity reductions.

The WMSC also discussed possible outside assistance. Commissioner Rauch suggested inviting the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate the incidents; WMSC staff said they would consider outreach but emphasized that the immediate requirement is for Metro Rail to perform a comprehensive safety analysis using its safety management system (SMS) processes and submit the resulting engineering and operational mitigation package to the WMSC for review. The commission noted it has not ordered Metro to stop using ATO on the red line but has withheld concurrence for systemwide ATO activations pending Metro Rail’s analysis and corrective actions.

What happens next: WMSC staff said they remain in weekly technical exchange with Metro Rail and are ready to review Metro’s comprehensive ATO analyses and any outside-expert assessments. The commission asked staff to return with proposed performance thresholds and with updates on Metro Rail’s engineering assessments — particularly the Judiciary Square supplier report — at future public meetings.

The commission will next meet on 2025-05-13.","The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission said it cannot concur with Metro Rail's safety certification to expand automatic train operations (ATO) after a marked increase in station overruns on the red line; commissioners pressed Metro for detailed root-cause analyses and engineering mitigations before any systemwide rollout.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

WMSC adopts three investigation reports after hazardous spill and two improper-movement near-misses

WMSC issues noncompliance notice over overdue fall-protection corrective action as audit subpoena dispute delays records

WMSC withholds concurrence to expand automatic train operations after surge in red-line station overruns