WASHINGTON — Metro is holding a special meeting on Thursday to review last week’s report on the Aug. 6 train derailment near the Smithsonian station and how it could have been prevented.
Metro Safety and Security Committee Chairman Michael Goldman called for the special session shortly after the incident.
A track defect that led to the train derailment was mistakenly deleted from the results, the report showed.
Metro reports that the Track Geometry Vehicle (TGV) spotted four code black rail defects, but the vehicle’s operator deleted the warning because he believed it was a false positive. Code black defects are the most serious and are supposed to receive attention immediately, according to Metro.
The TGV operator and a supervisor resigned after the derailment.
Goldman tells WTOP that he wants to get a better understanding of how TGV operators are trained to distinguish between a false positive reading from a scanner and an actual track defect.
He is also concerned that track walkers did not detect either the broken rail fasteners or the wide gauge in the four weeks after the initial warning. Rail fasteners hold the rails in place to keep the tracks from widening enough for the wheels not to fit anymore.
Two track walkers were interviewed in the investigation, but neither said they spotted any problems before Aug. 6. One pointed out that the lighting conditions in the tunnels outside Smithsonian are poor.
Goldman wants to understand how track walkers missed both problems and what corrective action would be taken to tighten standards and improve performance. It’s unclear whether the track walkers have been or will be disciplined for their role in the derailment.
Metro Assistant General Manager Rob Troup will make a presentation to the committee on Thursday. Troup will tell board members that five cars went off the rails and the train was going about 15 mph at the time.
Aside from the rail fasteners and wide gauge, other contributing factors include loose or broken studs and insufficient checks and balances.
Metro Chief Safety Officer James Dougherty will talk to the committee about how long it should take to file a complete report with the Tristate Oversight Committee. The current timeline is for Metro to submit a final review in early October.
The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, which represents Metro employees, has not yet commented on the derailment report.
