WMATA Board Heads Need to Roll

[Antozilla]

As more and more comes out on the Red Line accident, it becomes more  and more apparant that Metro Board members knew of problems with the 1000 series carriages and problems with the Automiatic Train Control and did nothing, putting at risk the safety of Metro's riders and staff.

I am sure we will hear that the board was kept in the dark by the staff and didn't know the severity of the problems, but that is the the kind of lack of curiosity rivaled only by President Geroge W. Bush. 

To date we have heard Metro blame the federal government for not giving Metro more money to replace the 1000 series cars, whose flimsy crash protection was partially responsible for other passenger and staff deaths and was noted by the NTSB.   I find this poor excuse not only insulting but disgusting and Metro should be ashamed for even floating it as excuse for theri unwillingness to protect the riding public.  It is absolutely the worst form of malfeasance especially for long time Metro board meebers and past chairs like Chris Zimmerman and Jim Graham it not only unconcionable it is probably criminal.  The blood is definitely on their hands and the public needs to demand that both (and others too) resign from Metro.

[Sand Box John]

My thoughts on who is ultimately responsible are a little different. It is my opinion that the Board is mostly clueless about the inner workings at the agency. Accountability mostly doesn't exist at WMATA because decisions within management are made by committees within committees within committees within committees. No one person has the final say.

[smithavechuck]

I tend to agree with John although Antozilla has made some excellent points.  Based on this morning's Post report, it appears that Metro is practicing deferred maintenance on the fleet.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/24/AR2009062400815.html?hpid%3Dtopnews

We also need to wait for some additional preliminary NTSB reports before passing judgment.

Chuck

[WMATAGMOAGH]

I tend to agree with John although Antozilla has made some excellent points.  Based on this morning's Post report, it appears that Metro is practicing deferred maintenance on the fleet.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/24/AR2009062400815.html?hpid%3Dtopnews

We also need to wait for some additional preliminary NTSB reports before passing judgment.

Chuck

Deferred maintenance?  OK, so the train's brakes may have needed replacement, it will be interesting to see if that is true and how that didn't get fixed.  But the issues with crash worthiness and black boxes?  Should Metro have diverted money from other things to get black boxes for trains that are about to be retired and unlikely to have a major crash before that point?

As more and more comes out on the Red Line accident, it becomes more  and more apparant that Metro Board members knew of problems with the 1000 series carriages and problems with the Automiatic Train Control and did nothing, putting at risk the safety of Metro's riders and staff.

I am sure we will hear that the board was kept in the dark by the staff and didn't know the severity of the problems, but that is the the kind of lack of curiosity rivaled only by President Geroge W. Bush. 

To date we have heard Metro blame the federal government for not giving Metro more money to replace the 1000 series cars, whose flimsy crash protection was partially responsible for other passenger and staff deaths and was noted by the NTSB.   I find this poor excuse not only insulting but disgusting and Metro should be ashamed for even floating it as excuse for theri unwillingness to protect the riding public.  It is absolutely the worst form of malfeasance especially for long time Metro board meebers and past chairs like Chris Zimmerman and Jim Graham it not only unconcionable it is probably criminal.  The blood is definitely on their hands and the public needs to demand that both (and others too) resign from Metro.

The Metro Board that you want to fire, as John pointed out, knows next to nothing about transit operations.  That said, they have been advocating for a dedicated funding source for Metro, especially for capital funds, and they have yet to receive it.  This campaign has been going on since the middle of the Richard White days.  The various regional governments, including the Federal Government, should look in the mirror about their transportation funding priorities more than anything else at this point.  And the rest of us need to wait for the NTSB to do its work before we decide who to point fingers at.

[Antozilla]

The Metro Board decides what gets doen and what does not get done and as the responsible actors they need to go.

As to what you do with the Rohr cars, either they needed to be retrofitted for better crash worthiness or disposed of and replaced.  That didn't happen, management was aware of it and did nothign that is negligence. 

[Tristan]

Well I'd like to hear what complaints people would have if we just willy nilly discarded 1/3rd of the rail fleet.

I think a solution to this problem, for now, is to sandwich Rohrs.  Put them only in the middle of 6- and 8-car trainsets so that frontal contact accidents won't result in telescoping.  This would be a pain for dispatchers but wouldn't impact service ... and it might even make the operators happier because they'll have new cabs :-)

[Antozilla]

I think the Rohrs can only transit with themselves

[WMATAGMOAGH]

They can be mixed with any other type of train that Metro has.  Take a look at the videos linked below:

http://www.orenstransitpage.com/otpdcpics3/rohrbredatakeoffavi.htm

http://www.orenstransitpage.com/otpdcpics3/cafrohrtakeoffavi.htm

http://www.orenstransitpage.com/otpdcpics3/cafbredarohrtakeoffavi.htm

[Perry]

The Rohr cars are compatible with the other ones in the fleet.  I've seen mixed consists with them many times.  Regarding the board, they really are clueless when it comes to transit operations.  They rely in the management of the transit agency to give them the information they are looking for.  Being on the WMATA board is only a small part of their responsibilities as they are involved in their own jurisdictions.  The main thing is finding out who from WMATA decided that not doing this was the best course to go.

I think they should have made the retrofits as the NTSB suggested since those cars were supposed to be around until 2014.  Why not make that investment....It's cheaper than having to replace rail cars that are damaged in accidents.

[Antozilla]

I stand correcteed re the Rohrs.

That said the WMATA Board may be clueless, but that does not absolve them of responsibility for being in charge of the transit system.   Ultimately the decisoons made are theirs. 

[Tristan]

So the Iraq War is Congress's fault, not Bush?  Yes they could have done more to prevent it, but they were trusting the people whose job it is to provide them information.  If you want heads to roll, go find Richard White and talk to him about it.

I'm pretty sure NTSB's findings were presented to the Board after Woodley Park, and WMATA management (which has been shaken up since then) addressed each recommendation.  Structural repair to the Rohrs would be too expensive and too complex, so they accelerated the process to replace them...which takes years and dollars, lots of dollars.  To the tune of $900 million to replace 300 Rohrs.  No one has $900 million dollars.  They probably won't be able to do any more of those lease agreements either, since AIG failed I don't know who would back them.

[Antozilla]

Congress and the President is nothing like the GM and the Metro Board

Catoe is an employee of the Metro Board who can be hired and fired by them at any time.  The Metro Board decides what will and will not be done.  They approve all and are all powerful and all responsible and they fell down.  Thye knew the Rohr cars were weak and instead of shoring em up, they left em as is.  Even if they did not let them lead that would have been something, didn't happen and 9 people are dead.  As for ATC, we knew about that problem for sometime and thought the repair had solved the problem, guess not. BUT I tell you this Catoe et al knew ATC was at the center of the investigation that night when they took al trains to manual and increased distances and slowed speeds.     

[Perry]

Unfortunately I don't know of any transit board that operates like that.  The ones I've been involved with directly just approve or not approve suggestions that the transit system brings to them after they thoroughly review what should and shouldn't be done.  Most transit board members know nothing of transit and they typically react to what a constituent wants or what they think a consituent wants rather than getting involved in day to day operations. 

Ultimately, it's the WMATA management that will have to answer to this and the board will then take the necessary actions.  As you said, Catoe is hired by the board and they have to entrust the good faith judgement of what he decides to do, not micro manage.  They need to get to the root of why they had the NTSB report that recommended this and why management told them it wasn't being done.

[WMATAGMOAGH]

John,

Can you please tell us what capital project should have not occurred so the 1000 Series cars could have been strengthened?  It isn't like they didn't spend that money at all, they chose to spend it on something else that was deemed to be more important at the time.

[Antozilla]

New bus purchase, Orange Line Extension, Pick one I woukld rather have bad service than deadly service